Old Video Of A Child Crying After A Terror Attack In Sopore Going Viral As Pahalgam Terror Attack.

After the Pahalgam terror attack, a video of a child went viral on social media. The first part of the video shows a child sitting near a dead body and the other part shows a child in a car, crying, being consoled by someone. Sharing the video, users are claiming that the child lost his parents in the recent Pahalgam terror attack.

Facebook Link | Archived Link.

Another post can be seen here. Archived Link

However, as we investigated, we came to know that the claim was misleading. The viral video is old and not from Pahalgam. Here’s the fact check.

Fact Check 

We started our investigation by conducting a relevant keyword search. This led us to a report published in Al Jazeera on 2 July 2020. The report contained an image similar to the viral video. It read, “A picture showing a three-year-old child sitting on his grandfather’s dead body in Sopore town of Indian-administered Kashmir has stirred anger in the Muslim-majority region, with the family of the deceased accusing the security forces of killing the 65-year-old civilian during a gunfight…”

Please read here. Archived Link.

Moving forward, we conducted another set of keyword searches. We found a video report uploaded on the YouTube channel of Times Now on 2 July 2020. The description of the video read, “Amid heavy firing in Jammu and Kashmir’s Sopore sector yesterday, a civilian was killed by the militant forces, while a CRPF jawan risked his life to save a toddler. Images of the child being comforted by the soldier after the death of his grandfather in the crossfire have gone viral, with the country hailing the bravery and valour of the forces. However, the lobby has turned the events to spread misinformation and make false claims of murder. Zulfikar Hassan, ADG, CRPF today issued a statement slamming those who are blaming the forces for the death of the civilian. He has said, that those questioning the security personnel should actually question the militant terrorists who fire indiscriminately without care.”

According to a report published in the Deccan Herald, “Jammu and Kashmir Police rescued a 3-year-old child after a terrorist attack in Sopore on July 1. The child was sitting beside his dead relative during the attack. The police consoled the terrified child while taking him to his mother…”

Please read here.

A video report uploaded on the official YouTube of ANI can be seen below.

Other reports can be seen here and here.

This makes it clear that the viral video is old and not related to the recent Pahalgam terror attack.

Conclusion 

From our investigation, we can say that the claim is misleading. The viral video is old. It shows a 3-year-old child after a terror attack in Sopore, J&K in July 2020.