A video which shows a person making strong remarks against people who raise 'anti-India' slogans is being shared on the internet with users identifying him as the district collector of Ujjain.
An archive of the post can be seen here.
(Source: Facebook/Screenshot)
(More archives to similar posts can be found here, here, and here.) We received a query about the viral video on WhatsApp tipline.
Are these claims true?: No. The video dates back to August 2021 and shows Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MLA from Madhya Pradesh, Rameshwar Sharma, making statements against those raising 'anti-India' slogans.
What led us to the truth?: A keyword search led us to a report published on ETV Bharat. It carried visuals of the same person seen in the viral video.
The report identified him as BJP MLA Rameshwar Sharma. It said that Sharma's statements has stirred a row in the state.
Sharma was reacting to the incident where several people allegedly raised "anti-India" slogans on the occasion of Moharram.
He mentioned that those who raise anti-national slogans will be crushed by the government.
The report was published on 23 August 2021.
(Source: ETV Bharat/Screenshot)
Collector of Ujjain: According to the district's website, Kumar Purushottam serves as the Collector and District Magistrate.
Purushottam is the Collector of the district according to the official website.
(Source: District Ujjain website/Screenshot/Altered by The Quint)
A comparison between a picture of Purushottam and the person in the viral video clearly shows that it was not him who was seen in the clip.
A comparison shows that it was not the collector of Ujjain who was seen in the viral video.
(Source: District Ujjain website/Screenshot/Altered by The Quint)
A recurring video: The video has been shared several times over the years. The Quint had previously fact-checked the same video where users misidentified Sharma as Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma. You can read our story here.
Conclusion: It is clear that the video is being shared on social media platforms with users misidentifying the person as the collector of Ujjain.
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