2021 Video of Rakhi Sawant Wearing Hijab Linked to Row in Karnataka

The video is from August 2021 when she stepped out wearing a hijab to go to the gym.

A video of Bollywood actor Rakhi Sawant wearing a hijab (headscarf) and arriving at the gym is being shared on social media claiming that the actor has come out in support of Muslim women wearing hijab to educational institutions.

However, we found that the video is from August 2021, months before the hijab protest in the country. Sawant had then told the paparazzi that she was wearing a hijab that a friend had gifted her.

The claim comes in the backdrop of the hijab row in Karnataka, with visuals showing educational institutions sending away students who insisted on wearing the hijab to classrooms in the state.

Meanwhile, on Wednesday, 16 February, the Karnataka High Court continued the hearing on petitions challenging the ban on wearing of hijab to classes.

CLAIM

A video screengrab was shared by Hindi news channel Aaj Tak journalist Ashraf Wani to claim that "Rakhi Sawant supported hijab".

The video was also shared by a Facebook user with the video caption as, "Rakhi Sawant ne BURQA PHAIN KAR support Kiya HIJJAB ko. (sic)"

(Translation: Rakhi Sawant wore the burqa and has supported hijab.)

More archived links on Twitter and Facebook can be seen here, here and here.

WHAT WE FOUND

We conducted a keyword search on YouTube using relevant keywords and found the video on the YouTube channel of Hungama, an entertainment website.

The video was posted on 30 August 2021.

In the video when a cameraperson tells her that the dress looks like a hijab, she replies saying, "Yes, it's a hijab only, my friend has gifted it. I am wearing gym clothes under this (hijab)."

You can hear it from 0:24-0:34 secs in the video.

We also found the video posted in August 2021 in other entertainment portals, such as Eros Zooming and Viral Bollywood.

Further, we also looked for any recent statements by Sawant on the hijab row but couldn't find any.

Clearly, a video from 2021 is being shared on social media with the claim that Rakhi Sawant has come out in support of Hijab.

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