In a unanimous judgment delivered in the long-running Ram Janmabhoomi-Babri Masjid case, the Supreme Court on Saturday, 9 November, directed that the Hindus will get the disputed land in Ayodhya, subject to conditions.
CLAIM
Currently, an image is circulating on social media which shows Muslim men offering namaz. The image is being shared with the claim that this is the last prayer being offered at the site where the Babri Masjid once stood.
The caption reads, “The last prayer was offered at the babri mosque. After this prayer, the place of the mosque will be handed over to the Hindu administration. #AyodhaVerdict #BabriMasjid (sic).”
An archived version of the tweet can be seen here.
TRUE OR FALSE?
The picture has not been altered in any manner but the claim with which it is being shared is completely false. The photograph dates back to December 2008 and was clicked at a mosque in New Delhi’s Feroz Shah Kotla area.
WHAT WE FOUND OUT
A comment below the tweet suggested that the image is from a mosque in New Delhi. Taking a cue from here, we used the key words ‘Namaz Delhi mosque’ and came across an image which showed the same structure as is shown in the image.
The picture was hosted on a website called ‘Socialnews.xyz’ which suggested that it shows the Jami Masjid in Feroz Shah Kotla. We then found the exact location of the mosque using Google Maps.
We were also able to find the same image on India Times which was uploaded way back in 2008.
Hence, although the photograph in itself is undoctored, the claim it is being shared with, ie, that it shows Muslims offering the last prayer at the site of the Babri Masjid, is false.
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