News graphic saying Indian prime minister has asked for the internet to be shut down in the country.
The viral graphic has the logo of Hindi news channel Aaj Tak and an image of Prime Minister Narendra Modi with a ticker that reads, "PM Announced To Shut Down Internet Services For 1 Week,To Avoid Panic In Public Through Social Media.", BOOM received the forward on its WhatsApp helpline number (7700906111) inquiring about its veracity., Facebook, "On searching with the keywords Modi Internet 1 week we found the same graphic shared on Facebook.", Click here to view, and here for an archive., Also Read: Cropped Aaj Tak Video Used To Spread Misinformation On Coronavirus, BOOM found that the viral graphic is photoshopped and no such announcement on internet shutdown was made by PM Modi., Aaj Tak is a Hindi news channel that runs its news tickers in Hindi script and not in English as can be seen in the viral graphic. Additionally, the font used in the image is of another Hindi news channel ABP News., "We compared a recent Aaj Tak breaking news template from March 24, 2020, when PM Modi declared a 21-day national lockdown to combat the spread of Coronavirus. When comparing with the fake graphic, the breaking news header is titled - Corona Breaking and has a different style compared to the viral graphic.", Additionally, we searched for news reports and did not find any report on PM Modi announcing an internet shutdown for a week., BOOM has debunked instances in the past when morphed viral screenshots of the channel have gone viral with false claims., Also Read: Morphed Screenshots Of Aaj Tak Make False Claims About Coronavirus Cure, "Follow BOOMs LIVE blog for recent updates: Coronavirus LIVE Update: India Crosses 700 Cases", , BOOM’s WhatsApp Helpline, Need Help To Verify An Image Or A Video? Send It To Us On +91 77009 06588, Boom is now available on Telegram, Click here to read our latest fact check stories and other updates.
No, PM Modi Has Not Announced An Internet Shutdown During Lockdown