copenlu/druid huggingface dataset:
Claim: Before the Aragalaya Gas Prices of Sri Lanka Low and After Aragalaya,Prices Increased !! (Social Media Users, 2024-01-03)
Evidence (2022-10-11): While I had been watching what was happening in Sri Lanka regularly, April 1 was the day that signalled my life would come to be dominated by the Aragalaya, the name that was attributed to the protest wave taking place thousands of miles away. [...] "The difference between reporting the war and reporting the Aragalaya, has been that with the war, there was always the chance to break away from the story, even for a short time, with the protests it has been relentless, everywhere, all the time. There was absolutely no chance of a break," Buddhika Weerasinghe, a veteran photographer said.
Claim: Before the Aragalaya Gas Prices of Sri Lanka Low and After Aragalaya,Prices Increased !! (Social Media Users, 2024-01-03)
Evidence (2024-07-28): Sustaining power will be more difficult than winning the election. Generally, from the very first day after assuming office, things start to fall apart. This will be the first election after the ‘Aragalaya,’ and we do not know the ground reality. [...] The new president must deliver on anti-corruption promises because the demands of the ‘Aragalaya’ have not been met yet. However, some promises, like recovering assets overseas, are not easy to execute. Therefore, delivering on the anti-corruption sentiment is challenging.
Claim: Before the Aragalaya Gas Prices of Sri Lanka Low and After Aragalaya,Prices Increased !! (Social Media Users, 2024-01-03)
Evidence (2024-08-25): Sri Lanka is possibly one of a kind, where Arab Spring-like Aragalaya mass protests for regime change stopped with the forced exile and subsequent resignation of President Gotabaya Rajapaksa in 2022. The constitutional scheme then retrieved the processes without effort, and the democratically-elected Parliament chose a successor for the residual term.
Claim: Before the Aragalaya Gas Prices of Sri Lanka Low and After Aragalaya,Prices Increased !! (Social Media Users, 2024-01-03)
Evidence (2022-10-06): While the eyes of the world were focused largely on the war in Ukraine and its repercussions, attention shifted briefly to Sri Lanka in April, where a situation that had been simmering for many years came to the boil. Popular protests that became known as the "Aragalaya" or Struggle of the People erupted in major cities throughout the country as protesters unified around the call "Gota Go Home", demanding the resignation of President Gotabaya Rajapaksa after months of skyrocketing prices and shortages of fuel, cooking gas, medicines and food. Public transport collapsed, schools were forced to close and the population was confronted with lengthy power cuts. [...] The shortages and increasing prices of fuel mean that irrigation pumps and rice mills cannot function, produce cannot be transported and many small-scale fishermen are unable to continue their normal activities. According to the World Food Program, over a quarter of the 22 million Sri Lankans are now food insecure; many are dependent on food banks, with food inflation standing at 90% in June 2022. And it is feared that the food crisis will escalate further as the war in Ukraine leads to further price increases for fuel, pesticides and fertiliser.
Claim: Before the Aragalaya Gas Prices of Sri Lanka Low and After Aragalaya,Prices Increased !! (Social Media Users, 2024-01-03)
Evidence (2023-07-20): One year after the Sri Lanka’s massive unrest, known as the Aragalaya protests, the country is still dealing with the aftermath of its most devastating economic crisis since independence, a government without popular support and intensifying geopolitical competition in its neighborhood. The protests, spurred by the economic crisis, led to mass resignations across the government with former President Gotabaya Rajapaksa fleeing the country in July 2022. In the year since, the country has secured an IMF agreement, and its economy has ambled toward a slow path of recovery. However, there have still been concerns on the human rights front as the current government of Ranil Wickremesinghe has clamped down on further protests and continually postponed elections. [...] One year after the Aragalaya and the removal of President Rajapaksa, what is the state of politics in Sri Lanka? [...] In September 2022, Sri Lanka reached a staff-level agreement with the IMF for an Extended Fund Facility Program. Two hundred days later, in March 2023, it secured a board-level agreement as well. Alongside that, the currency appreciated by about 15% and the government approval rating, which was as low as 10% in February, doubled to 21% in June. Price increases have been contained in 2023. The annualized inflation in the first half of 2023 was below 5%, exceeding the expectations set out by the IMF. Market interest rates, which had edged above 30%, have now come below 20%. Sri Lanka has got past the zenith of its crisis and is looking forward to a slow and steady recovery.
Claim: Before the Aragalaya Gas Prices of Sri Lanka Low and After Aragalaya,Prices Increased !! (Social Media Users, 2024-01-03)
Evidence (2023-08-29): In some respects, the Aragalaya could be said to have surpassed the Great Hartal. It sustained its momentum and even grew in number between March and July 2022. It forced the incumbent president — who had been elected twenty months earlier with more than 52 percent of the popular vote (and the support of the LSSP and the Communist Party) — to twice flee from his home, and later the country, before resigning. The former ruling family had to hide from the wrath of the people. The Aragalaya was contemptuous not only of the executive but also of a parliament constituted two years before with a crushing majority for the president’s party. It made politicians fear the masses, instead of the other way about. Its radical wing posed the demand of "system change." [...] While there was trade union contribution, including a general strike on April 28 and hartal on May 6, 2022, the working class was largely passive in workplaces and missing as "a class for itself" in the people’s movement. The Aragalaya was a glorious rebellion of the discontented, but baulked at rejecting in toto the existing edifice of the economy and the state. Its outcome illuminated the weakness of the contemporary Sri Lankan left and the timidity of its politics.
Claim: Before the Aragalaya Gas Prices of Sri Lanka Low and After Aragalaya,Prices Increased !! (Social Media Users, 2024-01-03)
Evidence (2022-12-28): It was also the year of the political aragalaya (struggle) that dethroned the Rajapaksa family. The aragalaya was tamed, but not before it forced former prime minister Mahinda Rajapaksa to flee his official residence in May and his brother, former president Gotabaya Rajapaksa, to flee the presidential palace in July 2022. The aragalaya powerfully expressed the spirit of democracy and individual rights. But its demand for ‘system change’ was utopian. Its participants clamoured for better governance without interrogating the ethnocracy that undergirded Sri Lanka’s majoritarianism, corruption and impunity. It is best viewed as a mass agitation against corruption stemming from the scarcity of essentials. But the spirit of the aragalaya and its demands will resonate with the government as it negotiates the writing of a new constitution. President Ranil Wickremasinghe — who was installed as prime minister when the president and prime minister from the Rajapaksa clan fled — can be credited with taming the aragalaya. [...] But the price of goods has skyrocketed. Most Sri Lankans cannot afford to buy what was previously unavailable. The surface calm masks much suffering. According to the University of Peradeniya, over nine million people now live in poverty. Other reports claim around 70 per cent of people are being forced to eat less than usual, while 20 per cent of students are going to school without food. School dropout rates have increased, as have malnutrition and emaciation. Sri Lankans are leaving the country in record numbers, women are being trafficked to the Middle East and people are selling kidneys in desperation.
Claim: Before the Aragalaya Gas Prices of Sri Lanka Low and After Aragalaya,Prices Increased !! (Social Media Users, 2024-01-03)
Evidence (2024-10-08): What is the conjuncture [1] in Sri Lanka, two years after the surge and ebb of the citizens’ movement (‘Aragalaya’); and in the run-up to a presidential election scheduled for late this year – the first ballot of the people since August 2020? [...] Following the Aragalaya booting out Gotabaya Rajapaksa in July 2022, the Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP—People’s Front) strong armed the office of the president for Ranil Wickremesinghe; in exchange for him safeguarding the personal security and political survival of la prima famiglia. Through this pact between the party of government and the leader-for-life of the United National Party (UNP) the political crisis generated by the socio-economic convulsions of 2021-2022 was submerged. It is resurfacing in the lead-up to the presidential election expected between mid-September and mid-October this year.
Claim: Before the Aragalaya Gas Prices of Sri Lanka Low and After Aragalaya,Prices Increased !! (Social Media Users, 2024-01-03)
Evidence (2014-02-11): - Law enforcement officials continued to arrest, detain, and intimidate internet users, including journalists, for online posts related to the Aragalaya (see B8, C3, and C7). [...] Threats against journalists (see C7) and emergency regulations criminalizing false information (see C1) during the coverage period raised concerns about escalating self-censorship.2 People also experienced direct retaliation for supporting the Aragalaya: for example, television presenter Parami Nileptha Ranasinghe was barred from anchoring programs for the state-run television network in March 2022 or entering its offices over Facebook posts criticizing the Rajapaksa government.3 [...] The internet has provided an avenue for robust digital activism and engagement on political issues in Sri Lanka. The 2022 Aragalaya was partly mobilized online.
Claim: Before the Aragalaya Gas Prices of Sri Lanka Low and After Aragalaya,Prices Increased !! (Social Media Users, 2024-01-03)
Evidence (2022-08-11): The crisis escalated irrevocably in January 2022, with fuel queues and rolling power cuts. Previously, Sri Lanka was seen as the only country in South Asia to provide uninterrupted electricity, at the cheapest rates.58 Historically, fuel prices were also low by regional standards. Once the government found it could no longer control rates and availability, it set ceiling prices for food items in 2021, to no avail59—and the dollar rate of the rupee fell from 200 to 350, monthly inflation exceeded 30 percent, and protests gained steam.60 Interestingly enough, while liberal critics of the Rajapaksas took to the streets against their government, their core constituencies—like farmers, who had been deprived of chemical fertilizers for a year, and the majority Sinhala Buddhist middle-classes, who had banked on Gotabaya Rajapaksa’s ability to deliver and his experience in the defense establishment—were arguably louder and more articulate in their protests.61 [...] Having rallied around the demand for Gotabaya Rajapaksa’s exit for more than three months, certain elements within the community are moving out.73 Despite Wickremesinghe’s raid on 22 July, these groups contend that they have achieved their objective and that the next phase of their campaign—which they call the aragalaya, or uprising—will depend on how well the new administration handles the economic crisis. That, in turn, will depend on the completion of an IMF agreement and a debt-restructuring program. Political stability is an urgent imperative now, and it will boil down to how the Wickremesinghe administration will react to any future uptick in the protests, in Colombo or anywhere else.
Claim: Before the Aragalaya Gas Prices of Sri Lanka Low and After Aragalaya,Prices Increased !! (Social Media Users, 2024-01-03)
Evidence (2023-04-19): On 9 July 2022, angry citizens protesting economic mismanagement stormed the Sri Lanka President’s palace in Colombo. Four days later, Sri Lankan President Gotabaya Rajapaksa, amid a deepening crisis and widespread protests there, escaped to the neighboring island nation of the Maldives and flew into Singapore from there the following evening. The primary objective of this paper is to provide some initial thoughts on the factors that led to the Aragalaya (struggle). Thus, this article attempts to understand the major sources that gave birth to Janatha Aragalaya, commonly named by Sri Lankans as the #GotaGoHome protest movement, the significance of the movement and some suggestions to build a democratic and peaceful Sri Lanka. The article will first provide some primary information about the island’s demographics and socio-economic conditions and then discuss the causes that gave birth to the protest movement. This section will also explain why the state and its institutions, such as security forces, did not use violence against the movement. To prepare the article, the author interviewed Sri Lankans who participated in the Aragalaya. Conversations were held in Tamil, Sinhala, and English throughout the protests from 12 April to 17 July via WhatsApp and Facebook messengers. [...] Jeyaraj, D, B, S. (2022). Tenacious ‘Aragalaya’ (Struggle) of FSP Leader Kumar Gunaratnam Alias Kumar/Kumara. Available at https://dbsjeyaraj.com/dbsj/archives/78620. Accessed 25 July 2022.
Claim: Sudha Murty was helped by a lecturer named Usha Bhattacharya when she was travelling without ticket On train from Bombay to Bangalore in her childhood.... (Social Media Users, 2022-10-28)
Evidence (2022-10-28): According to our investigation, we found out that the viral social media story about Sudha Murty was misleading. The viral message is false and does not tell the childhood story of Sudha Murty. The runaway girl Chitra is not Sudha Murty. The information in viral posts is a grossly convoluted version of one of the stories written by Sudha Murty.
Claim: Sudha Murty was helped by a lecturer named Usha Bhattacharya when she was travelling without ticket On train from Bombay to Bangalore in her childhood.... (Social Media Users, 2022-10-28)
Evidence (2024-07-10): Sudha Murty - Early Life [...] Sudha Murty was born in Shiggaon, Karnataka to her parents Dr. R. H. Kulkarni and Vimla Kulkarni. Her father was a surgeon and his brother Srinivas Kulkarni is a renowned astronomer. He also received the Dan David Prize in the year 2017. [...] Sudha Murty was born on 19 August 1950 and is 73 years old.
Claim: Sudha Murty was helped by a lecturer named Usha Bhattacharya when she was travelling without ticket On train from Bombay to Bangalore in her childhood.... (Social Media Users, 2022-10-28)
Evidence (2021-03-08): A life of humility, diligence and unerring compassion is the only way of living known to Sudha Murthy A prolific writer, engineer, professor and philanthropist, Sudha Murthy is a force of nature. Smashing glass ceilings at a time when there were very few women leading the way—she was the first female engineer to be hired by TELCO, India’s largest auto manufacturer—her story is an exemplary account of a formidable trailblazer, who braved the road less travelled.
Claim: Sudha Murty was helped by a lecturer named Usha Bhattacharya when she was travelling without ticket On train from Bombay to Bangalore in her childhood.... (Social Media Users, 2022-10-28)
Evidence (2024-07-23): As a kid, Sudha Murty remembers her grandfather asking her what she would do if she were given a pair of wings. ‘I didn’t think twice,’ she recalls. ‘I told him I’d fly to the nearest library and read all the books there.’
Claim: Sudha Murty was helped by a lecturer named Usha Bhattacharya when she was travelling without ticket On train from Bombay to Bangalore in her childhood.... (Social Media Users, 2022-10-28)
Evidence (2024-04-18): Early Life of Sudha Murthy [...] - With constant support from her family in childhood, Sudha Murthy went on to pursue unconventional career choices which were not popular among girls. [...] - Sudha Murthy’s childhood is often characterized by simplicity and a fire to learn.
Claim: Sudha Murty was helped by a lecturer named Usha Bhattacharya when she was travelling without ticket On train from Bombay to Bangalore in her childhood.... (Social Media Users, 2022-10-28)
Evidence (2024-03-08): Born on August 19, 1950 to a Kannada-speaking family, Murty's father was a surgeon and mother a school teacher. She once told a television show that her decision to pursue engineering in 1968 was not much welcomed by her relatives as they thought nobody would marry her since it was a male-dominated stream. [...] On her last day at TELCO, Murty had an encounter with JRD Tata and following the latter's advice to give back to the society, she was encouraged to take up social work. She was a philanthropist even when she was a child. At the age of six, she helped a blind man cross the road. Also, she loves to care for her furry friends. [...] Sudha Murty has become a household name in India.
Claim: Sudha Murty was helped by a lecturer named Usha Bhattacharya when she was travelling without ticket On train from Bombay to Bangalore in her childhood.... (Social Media Users, 2022-10-28)
Evidence (2017-07-24): Sudha Murty of Infosys was called ‘cattle class’ at London airport. Here’s what she did [...] That was when the otherwise calm 66-year-old wife of industrialist Narayana Murthy decided to give her fellow traveller a piece of her mind. Drawing on her personal experiences, Sudha Murty, in her new book, Three Thousand Stitches, sheds light on some of the prevailing biases in the society.
Claim: Sudha Murty was helped by a lecturer named Usha Bhattacharya when she was travelling without ticket On train from Bombay to Bangalore in her childhood.... (Social Media Users, 2022-10-28)
Evidence (2022-08-05): Hyderabad: A post about how a woman helped a young Sudha Murty, author and former chairperson of the Infosys Foundation, is being shared on social media with the claim that it is a true story. It claims that the woman, Usha Bhattacharya, who was a college lecturer, helped the young runaway girl (Sudha Murty) and bought her a train ticket from Bombay to Bangalore, and then took her to an NGO so she could be cared for. [...] We also found reviews of the short story on Goodreads. According to one of the comments, Sudha Murthy helped a girl on a train from Bombay to Bengaluru by paying for her ticket. The rest of the story, according to the comment, is about how Chitra grows up and does well in her life and never forgets Sudha Murthy. In a video, Sudha Murty reminisces about her childhood. She thanks her parents and teachers for their support and describes her childhood in Karnataka. She also talks about her engineering education in Karnataka where she was the only female in her class. She does not mention her stint in Bombay or relocating to Delhi. This demonstrates that the story in the viral post is not autobiographical.
Claim: Sudha Murty was helped by a lecturer named Usha Bhattacharya when she was travelling without ticket On train from Bombay to Bangalore in her childhood.... (Social Media Users, 2022-10-28)
Evidence (2024-05-01): Sudha Murty was born on August 19, 1950, in Shiggaon, North Karnataka. Brought up in a family that places immense value on education, she imbibed her love for books and learning very early in life. She grew up hearing stories from the Mahabharata and the Ramayana from her grandparents. This became her introduction to the world of stories. [...] Sudha Murty is a curious learner, eager to learn from people, books, and experiences. A self-proclaimed indulgent reader, she is always making room for more books in her ever-expanding library. She is a history buff, especially Indian history, and spends a lot of her time reading up on it and interacting with experts. [...] Sudha Murty lives in Bangalore with her husband Narayana Murthy, and her dog Gopi.
Claim: Sudha Murty was helped by a lecturer named Usha Bhattacharya when she was travelling without ticket On train from Bombay to Bangalore in her childhood.... (Social Media Users, 2022-10-28)
Evidence (2024-08-31): Sudha Murty (née Kulkarni; born 19 August 1950) is an Indian educator, author, and philanthropist. She is married to the co-founder of Infosys, N. R. Narayana Murthy. She is the Founder-Chairperson of the non-profit charitable organization Infosys Foundation. In 2024, Murty was nominated as Member of Parliament, Rajya Sabha on 8 March 2024 for her contribution to social work and education. Murty was awarded the Padma Shri, the fourth highest civilian award in India, for social work by the Government of India in 2006.[2] In 2023, she was awarded the Padma Bhushan, the third highest civilian award in India.[3] [...] Early life and education [edit]Sudha Murty was born to a Kannada-speaking family on 19 August 1950 in Shiggaon, Haveri district in Mysore State (present-day Karnataka), India, the daughter of R. H. Kulkarni, a surgeon, and his wife Vimala Kulkarni, a schoolteacher. She was raised by her parents and maternal grandparents. These childhood experiences form the historical basis for her first notable work entitled How I Taught My Grandmother to Read, Wise and Otherwise and Other Stories.[16] Murty completed a BEng in Electrical and Electronics Engineering from the B.V.B. College of Engineering & Technology (now known as KLE Technological University), and then a MEng in Computer Science from the Indian Institute of Science.[17][18]
Claim: Sudha Murty was helped by a lecturer named Usha Bhattacharya when she was travelling without ticket On train from Bombay to Bangalore in her childhood.... (Social Media Users, 2022-10-28)
Evidence (2024-07-09): Even though there were many naysayers initially, Murty said her father supported her unconditionally. "My father said come what may, I will support you as long as you are legally and ethically right," said Murty.
Claim: Sudha Murty was helped by a lecturer named Usha Bhattacharya when she was travelling without ticket On train from Bombay to Bangalore in her childhood.... (Social Media Users, 2022-10-28)
Evidence (2020-08-19): Sudha Murty (née Kulkarni) is an Indian engineering teacher who excels as an author in Kannada, Marathi and English language. She is mainly known for her philanthropic work. She currently serves as the Chairperson of the Infosys Foundation and is the wife of the co-founder of Infosys, N.R. Narayana Murthy. Today, the philanthropist turns 70. Penguin announces her next book on this occasion-- Grandparents’ Bag of Stories. Sudha Murty: Birth, Family, Early Life and Education Sudha Murty was born on August 19, 1950, in Shiggaon, Haveri in Karnataka, India, to
Claim: Sudha Murty was helped by a lecturer named Usha Bhattacharya when she was travelling without ticket On train from Bombay to Bangalore in her childhood.... (Social Media Users, 2022-10-28)
Evidence (2019-09-08): Stories ‘Bombay To Bangalore’ A short story by Sudha Murthy Once a TTE (Train Ticket Examiner) who was doing the duty in a Bangalore bound train from Mumbai caught a girl who was hiding under a seat. She was around 13 or 14 years old. TTE asked the girl to show the ticket to which she replied that she is traveling without a proper ticket. Then the TTE told the girl to get down from the train. At that same time, he heard a voice from behind. "I will pay for her". That was Mrs. Usha Bhattacharya, who was a college lecturer by profession. Mrs. Bhattacharya paid for the girl’s ticket and requested her to sit nearby. Then she asked, "what’s your name?" [...] The young woman replied, "Ma’m, the bills I paid are very less when comparing to the ticket fare you had paid for me for the Bombay – Bangalore train journey!" Tears were rolling out from both eyes of the woman. "Oh, Chitra… you..!!!" Mrs.Bhattacharya responded astonished. Chitra hugged and touched Mrs. Bhattacharya’s feet.