A viral video claims that a ‘thanks giving’ rally was taken out by ‘Rohingyas’ in West Bengal after winning the recently concluded Assembly elections and that they had chanted ‘Pakistan Zindabad’ slogans.
However, The Quint’s WebQoof team found that the claim is false and the video is from Uttar Pradesh's Bahraich district. Further, the crowd was chanting ‘Haji Sahab Zindabad’ and not ‘Pakistan Zindabad’. This was after Haji Abdul Kalim won the recently held Panchayat elections in UP.
CLAIM
The claim along with the video reads: “A 'Thanks giving' rally in West Bengal taken out by some of the 31 Rohingyas elected in the recent elections. "Pakistan Zindabad" is their slogan raising. Where is 'Secular India' leading us? (sic)”
(Source: Twitter/Screenshot)
The claim has been shared on Facebook and Twitter and the archived links can be found here, here, and here. A different version of a similar video was also aired by News18 Uttarakhand on 5 May.
The Quint received a query on the claim being made in the viral video on its WhatsApp tipline as well.
WHAT WE FOUND
On carefully looking at the viral video, at 0:50 seconds, we noticed a shop by the name of ‘Bhoomi Vastralaya.’ With help of Google maps, we found that the shop is located in Rupaidiha in Uttar Pradesh’s Bahraich.
We compared the structure of the shop seen in the viral video with that of a user uploaded image on Google of the said shop in Bahraich and found several similar elements.
We also noticed the number plate of a bike, seen in the video, which read ‘UP’.
DID THE CROWD CHANT ‘PAKISTAN ZINDABAD’ SLOGANS?
On carefully listening to the viral video, we found that the crowd was chanting ‘Haji Sahab Zindabad’. From 0:11-0:18 seconds, one can hear the slogan: “Hamara pradhan Kaisa ho? Haji Sahab Jaisa ho.” (Translated: How should are head be? Like Haji Sahab.)
We also slowed down the audio and the sloganeering can be clearly heard. Haji Abdul Kalim is the newly elected pradhan of Kewalpur village in Bahraich.
The Quint’s WebQoof team reached out to Dr Jang Bahadur Yadav, deputy superintendent of police, who confirmed that the crowd was chanting ‘Haji Sahab Zindabad’ slogans.
“This video (one viral now) and the other video in which we can see a boy wearing a mask has been sent for forensics. They are from the same day. In our initial investigation, we found that the crowd was saying ‘Haji Sahab Zindabad’. The boy who was shooting in the other video also confirmed it to us. We have sent it to the forensics science lab to see if anyone has edited the video to make it sound like ‘Pakistan Zindabad’.”Dr Jang Bahadur Yadav, Deputy Superintendent of Police
We also came across a news report by Amar Ujala which said that after the three- phase panchayat elections concluded in Uttar Pradesh, supporters of Haji Abdul Kalim took out a procession. Police had, later, registered a case against 100 unidentified persons for violating COVID-19 protocols.
Further, Bahraich police called out the viral claim and issued a statement saying that the supporters of Haji Abdul Kalim had raised ‘Haji Sahab Zindabad’ slogans and not ‘Pakistan Zindabad’ as claimed.
Evidently, a video from Uttar Pradesh was used to falsely claim that Rohingyas raised ‘Pakistan Zindabad’ slogans in West Bengal to celebrate victory in the recently concluded state elections.
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