By Anmol Alphonso
A video of a Ram Navami procession in Srinagar, Jammu & Kashmir is being shared with the false claim that the video is from Pakistan, showing Hindus safely celebrating the festival.
A string of violent incidents marred Ram Navami celebrations across the country on March 30, 2023. Stone-pelting, sloganeering and arson triggered communal tensions resulting in deaths, destruction, and damage to property in various states including West Bengal, Bihar, Maharashtra and Gujarat.
In the viral video, the participants are interviewed who say they feel safe celebrating the festival. The video is being shared with the caption which translates to, "Ram Navami is safe in Pakistan and not safe in India, what does it mean? Hindus are in danger in Hindu majority country India itself"
(In Hindi - पाकिस्तान मे राम नवमी सेफ है और भारत मे सेफ नही ईस्का मतलब क्या, ??? हिंदू बहुल देश भारत मे ही हिंदू ख़तरे मे हैं)
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Also Read:Ram Navami Violence Video From Bengal Peddled As Madhya Pradesh's Khargone
FACT-CHECK
BOOM found that the viral video is from Srinagar, Jammu and Kashmir which is from a news report by Voice Of America (VOA) Urdu on a Ram Navami procession that was taken out by the Kashmiri Pandit community.
Taking a hint from the logo seen in the viral video, we found that the video is from a VOA Urdu news report published on March 30, 2023. The caption with the video states that it is from a Shobha Yatra organised by Kashmiri Pandits in Srinagar, Jammu & Kashmir.
The caption when translated from Urdu reads, "In Indian-administered Kashmir on Thursday, Kashmiri Pandits took out a procession amid tight security arrangements, which reached its destination through various places in Srinagar. Kashmiri Pandits take out this procession called 'Shobha Yatra' every year on the occasion of one of their religious festivals."
We can see the same visuals in the below video report as in the viral video.
Additionally, we also found several news reports about the Shobha Yatra in Srinagar.
The procession was taken out from Habba Kadal area in Downtown Srinagar to the commercial hub of Lal Chowk reported Greater Kashmir.
