An old video showing a man spraying water on wheat bags at a storage yard in Fatehabad, Haryana is being shared with the false claim that it is recent from Punjab and being linked to farmers' protest.
In the 58 seconds video, a man is secretly recorded pouring water on jute bags containing grains, lying stacked in an open yard near a highway.
The viral clip is being shared in the backdrop of the ongoing protests at different borders of Delhi by farmers from Punjab, Haryana and Western Uttar Pradesh camping there since November 26, 2020. The farmers have been demanding the repeal of three farm bills passed by the central government last year.
The clip is being shared with the caption, "FCI storage yards with wheat bought at MSP. This is the scene across Punjab. Water is sprinkled on wheat bags to make the grain rot and it is then sold to distilleries and breweries by the 5 Star farmers who are agitating on the Delhi border. There is big money involved!"
Click here to view, and here for an archive.
Click here to view, and here for an archive.
Viral on Facebook
On searching with the same caption on Facebook we found that the viral clip is being shared with the false claim.
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FACT-CHECK
On breaking the video into key-frames and performing a reverse image search using Google Images we found that the viral video dates back at least to 2018 from Fatehabad, Haryana and not from Punjab as being falsely claimed.
We found a news report by Times Of India in 2019 stating that the video was going viral back then too with the claim that the man pouring water on food grain bags to increase its weight.
On performing a keyword search with 'man pouring water' 'wheat bags' we found a news report by ABP Sanjha dated May 8, 2018, uploaded on YouTube reporting that they had found that the incident is from Fatehabad in Haryana.
ABP News had then reported that the Fatehabad Market Committee had taken cognizance of the matter and was investigating the viral clip. The Market Committee's initial investigation had found that the clip was from the Fatehabad Anaj Mandi at shop no 124 B where in order to increase the weight of wheat to increase profit water was being sprayed. The report further stated that the shop is owned by an Indian National Lok Dal leader Kuljit Kuladiya and the matter is being investigated.
Watch the report below:
The Market Committee comes under the Haryana State Agricultural Marketing Board, BOOM reached out to the Fatehabad Market Committee for a response, the article will be updated upon receiving one.
We also reached out to the Food Civil Supplies & Consumer Affairs Department, Haryana and Food Corporation Of India, Haryana Region for a response, the article will be updated if we receive a reply.
BOOM has previously debunked misinformation around the farmers' protests. Several false claims had gone viral to target the protesting farmers and old photos, videos being shared as recent. Follow BOOM's thread on misinformation around the farmers' protests.