On the occasion Ram Navami, disputes and clashes between two communities have been reported in many cities across the country. Adding fuel to the fire, several videos are going viral on social media, with baseless allegations being made.
One such video, which shows a saffron flag being hoisted on top of a mosque in Rajasthan’s Gangapur, has been shared by a Twitter user by the name of Hamid bin Abdallah al-Ali (@Hamed_Alali). According to his bio on Wikipedia, he has been associated with the extremist group Al Qaeda as a facilitator and a fundraiser. He was also the general secretary of The Salafi Movement of Kuwait from 1991 to 1999.
Al-Ali’s tweet in Arabic, when translated into English, alleges that there has been a rise in attacks on mosques in Ganganagar, Rajasthan since the month of Ramadan, and that Hindutva terrorists are climbing onto the rooftops of mosques and chanting the praises of Hindu idols. He further claims that this is part of the Modi government’s policy to persecute Muslims since he became Prime Minister.
Fact Check:
To verify the viral video, the DFRAC team converted the video into multiple frames and did a reverse search. We found a clarification from Gangapur Police (@sgnrpolice) about the video. The police clarified that a saffron flag was not hoisted on any mosque in Gangapur, but at someone’s house. The police have also arrested two people on charges of spreading fake news.
Conclusion:
DFRAC’s fact-check confirms that the claim about a saffron flag being hoisted on a mosque in Gangapur, Rajasthan is false. As per the police clarification, a saffron flag was not hoisted on any mosque, but at someone’s house in Gangapur.
