By Hazel Gandhi
A video of Shahi Imam of Jama Masjid, Syed Ahmed Bukhari, addressing a crowd in the presence of BJP MP Dr Harsh Vardhan, is being peddled with a false claim that the Imam at Delhi's iconic mosque has joined BJP.
The video shows Imam Bukhari at an event where he is being lauded, and sitting next to him is BJP MP and former Minister of Health and Family Welfare Dr Harsh Vardhan. A poster of the BJP is also seen in the background.
The video is being shared with the caption, "Shahi Imam Bukhari joins BJP."
(Original text in Hindi: "शाही इमाम बुखारी ने बीजेपी ज्वॉइन कर ली.")
Click here to view the tweet and here for an archive.
Click here to view the tweet and here for an archive.
The post is also viral on Facebook.
Click here to view.
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FACT-CHECK
BOOM found that the video of Imam Bukhari is from an event held on March 11, 2023, to commemorate the laying of the foundation stone of a washroom at Jama Masjid and posts about him joining the BJP are false.
We checked Dr Harsh Vardhan's tweets, who had shared detailed updates of the incident and found a tweet that spoke about how he used his MP fund to initiate the construction of the washroom at Gate No. 1 of Delhi's Jama Masjid.
He had also shared other photos and videos from the event. One of the videos shows Imam Bukhari praising Dr Harsh Vardhan for getting this work done at the Masjid, which was long overdue.
BOOM also reached out to Imam Bukhari's Assistant PRO, Mohammed Ansarul Haque, who refuted the viral claim and said, "There is a claim circulating online about Shahi Imam Syed Ahmed Bukhari joining the BJP. This claim is false." He spoke about the actual event that was held on March 11 and said, "The washrooms of the Masjid were in very poor condition and we had sent some plans of the (new) washroom to the Municipal Corporation of Delhi, which hadn't been passed for the last 1.5 years. Finally, Dr Harsh Vardhan was requested to get the washroom made, and this event was held to lay down the foundation stone of the washroom."
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