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31 Instances Of Fake News Peddling By Pro-Congress, Leftist Propaganda Rag ‘The Wire’

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31 Instances Of Fake News Peddling By Pro-Congress, Leftist Propaganda Rag The Wire

The Wire, an online leftist propaganda rag founded in 2015 by Siddharth Varadarajan, former Editor of The Hindu, has often been criticized for its anti-India and anti-Hindutva stance. Over the years, it has faced accusations of publishing unverified and exaggerated reports, leading to its reputation as a leftist propaganda rag. The platform is widely supported by India’s Congress Party and other Left-leaning groups. This article examines The Wire’s efforts to spread disinformation to incite communal discord and anarchy and shield individuals accused of anti-national activities.

This report serves as evidence that The Wire has been continuously running a propaganda campaign against Hindus and the Modi government while supporting extremist radical Islamists. We cover 31 incidents confirming this bias, and in many cases, The Wire admitted that the news it spread was fake.

Fake News #1: Maharashtra Elections Vote Discrepancy

In November 2024, The Wire claimed that 504,313 additional votes were counted in the 2024 Maharashtra Assembly elections, alleging a mismatch between the polled and counted votes. It suggested that the BJP’s victory resulted from manipulation and raised doubts about the constitutional bodies’ credibility.

However, Maharashtra’s Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) clarified that the total votes counted, including postal ballots, amounted to 6,45,92,508, which is consistent with the total votes polled. The valid postal ballots counted in the Ashti and Osmanabad Assembly constituencies were 4,538 and 4,155, respectively, and these do not constitute excess votes.

Fake News #2: Haryana Elections Missing EVM

In October 2024, The Wire journalist M.K. Venu alleged that 19 lakh EVMs went missing during the Haryana Assembly elections and claimed that the Election Commission had not provided a satisfactory response to these allegations. However, this claim by Venu turned out to be false.

The Election Commission had already addressed these allegations in May 2019, explaining that the transportation of EVMs is managed through a secure Electronic Management System (EMS) that tracks EVMs in real-time. Only EVMs that have passed a First-Level Check and are logged into the system are used for polling. Furthermore, the Supreme Court dismissed similar claims regarding missing EVMs during the 2024 general elections, labeling them as baseless.

Fake News #3: Allegations Of Low Voter Turnout 

The Wire misrepresented data in its coverage of voter turnout in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. It compared the total number of registered voters in constituencies that voted in the first five phases of the 2019 elections with the actual voter turnout in the same phases of 2024. This led to the incorrect claim that there was a significant drop of 19.4 crore voters. In reality, 48.5 crore voters participated in the first five phases of the 2019 elections, not 70 crore as The Wire suggested.

Once this error was exposed, The Wire revised the article, shifting the focus to the first phase of the 2024 elections. It now claimed a dip of 1.8 crore voters, but this conclusion was also flawed. The article was updated with a correction noting the earlier comparison was based on the total number of eligible voters from 2019, not actual turnout. The URL of the article was also changed to reflect this new narrative.

Original Title

Once this error was exposed, The Wire revised the article, shifting the focus to the first phase of the 2024 elections. It now claimed a dip of 1.8 crore voters, but this conclusion was also flawed. The article was updated with a correction noting the earlier comparison was based on the total number of eligible voters from 2019, not actual turnout. The URL of the article was also changed to reflect this new narrative.

Altered Title

Like always, they added a correction note at the bottom very silently but did not announce the changes anywhere.

Fake News #4: Alleges That BJP Used App To Manipulate Trends

On 6 January 2024, The Wire published a report alleging that the BJP was using an app to manipulate trends and automatically generate online content. The report, based on an August 2020 tweet and some unnamed sources, claimed that the party was utilizing software called TekFog, supposedly led by BJP leader Devang Dave.

However, this claim contradicts a previous retraction by The Wire. On 23 October 2022, The Wire suspended its earlier story from January 2022 regarding TekFog, which Ayushman Kaul and Devesh Kumar had authored. In a statement, The Wire admitted that it was unable to verify the alleged capabilities of the app and did not have access to the actual software.

At that time, The Wire acknowledged that it was unclear whether the TekFog allegations would be examined in their internal investigation.

Fake News #5: India First In ‘Fake News’

On 2 March 2024, The Wire falsely claimed that India ranks first globally in “fake news.” In a video posted on The Wire’s YouTube channel, former NDTV anchor Priyanshi Sharma stated, “India is the number one country globally, not in GDP, employment, or health indicators, but in fake information.” She backed this claim by referencing the 19th edition of the Global Risk Report, published by the World Economic Forum (WEF) on 10 January 2024.

However, upon reviewing the source cited, it became clear that the report did not support Sharma’s assertions. The 124-page Global Risk Report 2024 does not claim that India leads in fake information. On page 8, the report highlights misinformation and disinformation as significant challenges for countries like Bangladesh, India, Indonesia, Mexico, Pakistan, the United Kingdom, and the United States, but it does not single out India as the top country in this regard.

Image Source: OpIndia

Fake News #6: Claimed Martyr Not Given Compensation

On 1 September 2023, The Wire published a report claiming that the family of martyred BSF jawan Ranjit Yadav had not received any compensation. The article was written by Yaqut Ali.

However, the Press Information Bureau (PIB) fact-checked and debunked this false claim. PIB clarified that Ranjit Yadav’s family, who was killed in action in Manipur, had already received a compensation of Rs 16 lakh under the ‘Golden Jubilee Seema Prahari Kalyan Kavach Yojana.’

Despite the fact-check by PIB, The Wire continues to let the article stand published and has written, “The Wire stands by its report.” at the end of the article.

 

Fake News #7: Lies About Alleged Poster By Advocate Reg Selling Houses To Muslims

On 16 January 2023, The Wire published a report claiming that a poster had been put up in Delhi’s Brahmpuri urging Hindus not to sell their houses to Muslims. The article suggested that advocate Pradeep Sharma distributed the posters.

However, Advocate Sharma denied any involvement, stating that he was unaware of the poster’s contents and had no connection to it. He criticized the act of targeting someone on social media in such a manner, emphasizing that The Wire’s claims were not his words and that he had never given an interview for the report.

Fake News #8: The Wire Journo Arfa Sherwani Lies About Hindus

On 1 October 2022, The Wire journalist Arfa Khanum Sherwani posted on her X handle, “Hindutva fascists are mocking, discouraging, threatening, and even beating up Muslims who are/want to participate in celebrations of Hindu festivals. They are destroying the last remnants of India and its composite culture.”

However, Sherwani’s statement misrepresents the situation. The truth is that in Garba pandals across Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, and Uttar Pradesh, several Muslim youths altered their identities to gain entry into the celebrations, where they reportedly molested Hindu girls. In response, Hindu organizations and local authorities took action to prevent such illegal activities by conducting investigations and stopping the infiltration.

Fake News #9: Lies About Army Killing Civilian In Kashmir

On 1 July 2022, The Wire published a report claiming that a three-year-old child had stated that the police shot his maternal grandfather, despite numerous instances where terrorists have been caught wearing police uniforms.

In reality, 65-year-old Bashir Ahmed Khan was killed by terrorists’ bullets. He was on his way to the market with his three-year-old grandson when the attack occurred. After being shot, Bashir Ahmed’s bloodied body collapsed on the road, with his grandson sitting on his deceased grandfather’s body.

Fake News #10: Spread Lies That Muslims Were Fleeing A Locality In Delhi Over Police Extortion

On 2 June 2022, The Wire published a report about the violence in Delhi’s Jahangirpuri, citing local sources who claimed that members of the Muslim community were fleeing the area and that the police were harassing innocent Muslims to extort money.

However, a ground investigation by OpIndia revealed that these claims were false. In fact, the area where The Wire reported fear of displacement due to bulldozer activity was busy with the unloading of junk, and there was no indication of any official action or administrative presence. Additionally, activities were ongoing near the mosque, which had been identified by Hindu organizations as the starting point for stone pelting, and all nearby shops were open and functioning as usual.

Fake News #11: Uploads Fake Video & Instigates Violence

On 5 April 2022, The Wire published a video report about violence in Karauli, Rajasthan, which showed a young man hoisting a saffron flag on a mosque. The video suggested that this act triggered the violence in the area. However, it was later revealed that the video was not filmed in Rajasthan.

The District Magistrate (DM) of Karauli issued a statement confirming that the mosque shown in the video was not located in his district, calling the report fake news. The Wire was accused of attempting to incite Muslim sentiments with this false information.

Fake News #12: Blames BJP For “Targeting” Muslims

On 23 February 2022, The Wire shared an image claiming it was created by Hindutva groups in 2020. The image depicted the coronavirus riding on the shoulders of a Muslim man.

To add credibility to this insinuation, The Wire’s Siddharth Varadarajan cited a propaganda piece from Turkish state media, linking to an article by Werleman on TRT World from April 2020, which he referred to as a perspective from “several analysts.”

It is noteworthy that CJ Werleman’s X account is withheld in India.

However, The Wire appeared to align itself with an apologetic stance toward Islamist behavior, having previously spread Taliban propaganda. This seemed to be part of an effort to tarnish the image of Prime Minister Modi, the BJP, and its supporters, while promoting an anti-Hindu narrative.

Fake News #13: Fake News During Corona Pandemic About Covaxin

The Wire published several articles making false allegations against Bharat Biotech and its COVID-19 vaccine, Covaxin, particularly regarding its authorization and approvals, without verifying the facts.

On 23 February 2022, the Ranga Reddy District Court in Telangana ordered The Wire, a left-leaning news outlet, to remove 14 articles it had published against Bharat Biotech and Covaxin.

The court clarified that Covaxin had been approved for the 15 to 18 age group, yet The Wire continued to publish misleading reports, which could contribute to vaccine hesitancy.

Fake News #14: Fake News On Immune Response Data For Covaxin

On 28 December 2021, The Wire published an article claiming that there was no available data on the immune response generated by Covaxin.

However, Bharat Biotech clarified that data on the immune response generated by Covaxin had been published in several reputable international peer-reviewed journals throughout 2020 and 2021.

Additionally, the company stated that the data regarding booster doses had already been submitted to the relevant authorities.

Fake News #15: Alleging That Spl Police Officers Were Joining Terrorist Groups Out Of Fear

On 28 June 2021, The Wire published a report titled “They Have Destroyed My Family,” alleging that in recent years, special police officers were leaving their posts and joining terrorist groups out of fear of terrorists.

In response, the Kashmir Police issued a statement debunking The Wire’s claims, labeling the report as completely false. The police emphasized that such allegations against security forces were being made without any factual basis or data to support them.

The Kashmir Police further accused The Wire of promoting a false agenda and issued a show-cause notice, seeking an explanation as to why a complaint should not be filed against the article with the Press Council of India.

Fake News #16: Lied About Mosque Demolished By Authorities

On 22 and 23 June 2021, The Wire released a video on its YouTube and Twitter platforms, falsely claiming that a mosque in Barabanki, Uttar Pradesh, was destroyed and desecrated by the authorities.

The District Magistrate, Adarsh Singh, responded to the claims, stating that the documentary contained false and unfounded information. He specifically refuted the claim that the administration and police had thrown religious scriptures into a drain and river, calling it completely untrue.

Fake News #17: Spread Fake News About Elderly Muslim Man Being Beaten Up

On 16 June 2021, the Ghaziabad Police in Uttar Pradesh registered an FIR against The Wire for spreading misleading information on social media about an incident involving an elderly man being beaten.

The media outlet had circulated a false report claiming that a Muslim man, Abdul Samad Saifi, was attacked in Ghaziabad’s Loni area and forced to chant “Jai Shri Ram.” The Ghaziabad Police filed an FIR under sections 153, 153-A, 295-A, 505, 120-B, and 34 of the IPC against the PS Loni Border police station in response to the false claims made by The Wire.

Fake News #18: Makes False Claim On Rajnath Singh And Ramcharitmanas, Silently Retracts It

The Wire claimed that Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, during a video conference at a Ram Navami function in Lucknow, stated that the recitation of the Ramcharitmanas, an epic poem by Tulsidas, could cure COVID-19 by boosting positivity in individuals, adding that it could act as a remedy for major diseases.

However, just hours after publishing the article on 24 April 2021, The Wire retracted the report on Twitter. In the tweet, they acknowledged that the story was based on unverified reports from other news sources and stated that the erroneous claim about Rajnath Singh had been withdrawn.

Fake News #19: Falsely Claims Digital Media Guidelines Retracted

The Wire falsely reported that a retired judge, selected by a panel from the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting (MIB), would head a self-regulatory body under the IT (Intermediary Guidelines & Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules. However, the Press Information Bureau’s Fact Check debunked this claim. In reality, the self-regulatory body would be constituted by publishers, not MIB, and could be led by a retired Supreme Court or High Court judge or a person of eminence.

Fake News #20: Omits Accused’s Islamist Identity In Suicide Case

In January 2021, a 25-year-old Dalit youth, Dharampal Diwakar, from Malwan, Uttar Pradesh, died by suicide after being beaten by two individuals, Noor Mohammad and Salman, for allegedly plucking leaves from their mango tree.

While the police arrested the accused, The Wire reported the incident without mentioning their religious identity, intentionally omitting it in the headline. In another report when the perpetrators were allegedly Hindu, they blamed “upper caste men” for the suicide.

The report instead downplayed the religious aspect of the crime committed by the Muslim accused.

Fake News #21: Published Fake Report On Safoora Zargar

Delhi Police criticized The Wire for publishing a misleading report regarding Safoora Zargar, a Delhi riots accused.

The report falsely claimed police and judicial bias against the Muslim community. On 15 May 2020, Delhi Police pointed out that the journalist had combined two separate FIRs with the same number, fabricating a narrative of bias and discrimination.

Fake News #22: Published Fake Report On Muslim Families

The Wire falsely reported that Muslim families living along the Punjab-Himachal border were being forced to live on riverbeds, deprived of food and water, after being beaten and chased from their homes.

In response, Hoshiarpur Police dismissed the allegations, providing evidence to disprove the claims and expose the propaganda.

Fake News #23: Made False Claims On Ram Navami And Tablighi Jamaat

On 31 March 2020, The Wire chief Siddharth Varadarajan tweeted in support of the Tablighi Jamaat, alleging that Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath had approved a fair in Ayodhya on Ram Navami and claimed that Lord Ram would protect everyone from the coronavirus.

In response, Yogi’s media advisor, Mrityunjay Kumar, refuted the claim, stating that the Chief Minister never made such a statement and warned of legal action and defamation for spreading false information.

Fake News #24: Falsely Defended Muslim Rioters, Misidentifies School Ownership

On 5 March 2020, The Wire published misleading information to protect Muslim riot suspects in Delhi’s Shiv Vihar. They claimed that DRP School, which was set on fire during the riots, was a Muslim institution, while in reality, Pankaj Sharma, a Hindu, owned it.

Meanwhile, Rajdhani School, located next door, became a stronghold for rioters, with reports of stone pelting and violence emanating from it.

Fake News #25: Misled With False Claims About CAA

On 20 December 2019, The Wire published a misleading article suggesting that the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) would lead to the expulsion of Muslims from India, portraying them as illegal citizens without voting rights, destined for detention centers.

This false narrative claimed that Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Amit Shah were behind these plans. However, Amit Shah clarified in an interview that implementing the National Register of Citizens (NRC) would not be based on religion, and only infiltrators, regardless of their faith, would be removed from the country.

Fake News #26: Misrepresented Kashmir Student Clash as Communal

On 19 November 2019, The Wire published an article titled “Kashmiris called terrorists and thrashed by fellow students,” attempting to give a communal twist to a student clash.

However, a Kashmiri student, speaking anonymously, clarified that the altercation was not due to religious differences but because of resentment over their ability to get passes for outings. The students involved in the clash were also Muslims, contradicting The Wire’s portrayal of the incident as religiously motivated.

Fake News #27: Falsely Claimed No Newspapers In Kashmir Post-Article 370 Abrogation

On 26 August 2019, The Wire falsely claimed that no newspapers had been published in Kashmir since the abrogation of Article 370 on August 5, describing the situation as “worse than the Emergency of 1975-77.” However, journalist Ashok Srivastava from Doordarshan debunked this claim during a TV debate by presenting evidence of newspapers still being published and distributed in Kashmir. He showcased photos and copies of newspapers from the period around 18-19 August 2019, disproving The Wire’s narrative.

Fake News #28: Wire Journo Arfa Sherwani Misled On Gorakhpur Temple’s History

On 27 April 2019, The Wire journalist Arfa Khanum Sherwani tweeted from Gorakhpur, claiming that the Math, led by Yogi Adityanath, was built on land donated by Muslim Nawab Asif-ud-Daula.

However, the Twitter handle True Indology fact-checked this claim, revealing that the temple is actually at least 800 years old, predating Nawab Asif-ud-Daula by 225 years. True Indology refuted Sherwani’s statement using references from historical texts and the Archaeological Survey of India.

Fake News #29: Made False Claim About Kashmir Girls In Dehradun

On 17 February 2019, The Wire reported that a mob had threatened Kashmiri girls studying at a university in Dehradun, demanding they vacate their hostel. The article quoted one girl who allegedly appealed for help, fearing an attack.

However, despite responses from Dehradun Police and CRPF clarifying the situation, The Wire continued to spread the unverified rumor without naming any of the students or providing credible details, turning an unfounded claim into a reported fact.

Fake News #30: Made False Report On Kashmir Students Suspended For Celebrating Pulwama Attack

On 16 February 2019, The Wire published a report claiming that four Kashmiri girls were suspended by NIMS University in Rajasthan for allegedly celebrating the Pulwama attack and raising anti-national slogans. However, the truth reveals that the students gave similar responses to public outrage following the incident, which raised serious concerns about inciting sentiments.

Despite this, no appropriate action was taken to properly address the situation.

Fake News #31: Posts Misleading Report On Kashmiri Students Suspended After Pulwama Attack

On 15 February 2019, The Wire reported that two Kashmiri students were suspended and one was rusticated by colleges in Uttarakhand following the Pulwama attack. One of the students had posted a photo of Shoaib Lone, a Hizbul Mujahideen militant killed in an encounter, with a message glorifying his death: “Allah aapki shahadat qabool kare” (“May Allah accept your martyrdom”).

However, the report overlooks critical details, including the fact that the student’s actions led to significant backlash, and the students later issued apologies for their posts. This raises concerns about selective reporting and context omission.

The Wire has proven itself not as a platform for ‘independent journalism’ as it claims but as a deliberate purveyor of misinformation, repeatedly fabricating stories to fit an anti-Hindu and anti-India narrative. With a shameful track record riddled with retracted articles, baseless allegations, and debunked claims, it is evident that The Wire functions less as a news outlet and more as a propaganda machine for vested ideological interests and probably foreign forces. Its attempts to manipulate public perception by distorting facts are not just irresponsible but dangerous that has the potential to create unrest in the country.

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