Many old and unrelated videos are going viral on social media to show how Tablighi Jamaat members are spitting and misbehaving with police and medical staff.

A video from 'Bohra Muslims' is being shared with a false claim that the Muslim community is trying to spreading coronavirus infection. In reality, boys in the video were licking plates and spoons to not ‘waste’ leftover food, as it is a tradition followed by the members of the Bohra community.

An old unrelated video was falsely shared as Tablighi Jamat members spitting on police.

Another old unrelated video was shared on social media to show Tablighi Jamat members spitting on police. 

Another old video from Philippines was falsely shared as a delivery boy spitting on bread packets.

Does it mean that all the news about Tablighi Jamaat members spitting and misbehaving is fake news?

Zainab Sikander, who hosts a weekly show for 'The Print' tweeted to accuse all the media houses and journalists of lying about Tablighi Jamaat members spitting and misbehaving with police and health officials. She even called for the arrest of those journalists.

She shared a fact check by The News Minute debunking the claim of BJP MP Shobha Karandlaje that people in Belagavi who had attended the Jamaat meeting were spitting and misbehaving with hospital staff.

Radio Mirchi RJ Sayema defends malevolent Tablighi Jamaat members and termed all the claims of spitting on police and medical staff fake news. She shared a link of Altnews' fact check to give credibility to her claim.

Altnews and several other fact-checkers have done a good job in calling out old and unrelated videos being linked with Tablighi Jamaat members. However, they failed to mention that there are many verified reports of Jamaat members misbehaving and spitting on health workers.

Following Tablighi Jamaat’s congregation at Markaz in Nizamuddin and the police crackdown on Tablighi Jamaat, they were spitting on the medical staff. We will list down some of the cases here.

Case 1: In the following ground report by journalist Shweta Singh, a health official can be heard saying on camera that these people are not closing their windows and even spitting on roads. The health official was moving away from the bus due to this strange behaviour of Jamaat members.

Case 2: Jamaat members who were quarantined at Diesel Shed Training School Hostel Quarantine Centre and RPF Barrack Quarantine Centre made unreasonable demand for food items, misbehaved and abused staff at Quarantine Centre. Also, they started spitting all over and on persons working/attending them including doctors as per a statement given by CPRO Northern Railway.

Case 3: Principal of GSV Medical College, Dr. Aarti Lalchandani narrated the incident that took place inside the hospital when a group of Tablighi Jamaat members under quarantine in the hospital resorted to vulgarity and even spat on the floor and the stairs of the hospital.

On social media, there are many authentic reports about the misbehavior of Jamaat members while some of older and unrelated videos are also being circulated.  Now, just because some of these videos turned out to be fake, we can't call the entire news fake.

Misinformation by Fact-Checkers?

Fact-checkers are picking up only those social media posts that spread false stories similar to some of the verified real reports but ignores the real and verified news. Now people reading these fact checks assumes that all other authentic reports are fake as well.

In conclusion: Even though many unrelated videos are being linked with Tablighi Jamaat members, the news about Tablighi Jamaat members spitting and misbehaving is not fake.