By Srijit Das
An old video showing a large gathering of Muslims in front of an Eidgah has been peddled on social media, with a misleading and communal claim that the footage shows a recent event that took place in Haridwar, Uttarakhand.
BOOM found that the claim is misleading. The video is from Haridwar and has been online since May 2022 around the time of the Islamic festival of Eid-Ul-Fitr that year.
In the 16-second video, an individual can be seen recording a large gathering of Muslims in front of an Eidgah, from a balcony.
The video was posted by right-wing X handle @ajaychauhan41 with a Hindi caption that translates to, "Haridwar, called Devbhoomi, the land of Hindu Gods...".
(Original Text in Hindi: हिंदू देवताओं की भूमि, देवभूमि कहा जाने वाला हरिद्वार...)
Click here to view the post.
Another verified right-wing X handle Kreately.in posted the video with a Hindi caption saying, "Welcoming you to Haridwar, Uttarakhand".
(Original Text in Hindi: हरिद्वार, उत्तराखंड में आपका स्वागत है)
Click here to view the post.
BOOM had previously fact checked both the handles for spreading misinformation multiple times. The fact check reports can be read here and here.
Other verified right-wing X handles also shared the video claiming it to be a recent scene from Uttarakhand's Haridwar. Click here and here to view such posts.
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Fact Check
BOOM ran a reverse image search on one of the keyframes from the viral video and found a X post from May 2022 carrying the same video.
The video was posted with a Hindi caption that translates to, "View after offering namaz at Jwalapur Eidgah, Haridwar. Hari's city became Allah's, it is a matter to think about where the Muslims came from in Uttarakhand, the ancestors here were Hindu Brahmins, Hindu Rajputs or Hindu Harijans".
Click here to view the post.
Using the information in the tweet, we ran a keyword search on Google Maps for the mentioned location and identified the same Eidgah in Jwalapur, Haridwar, Uttarakhand. This said location is also visible on Google Street View.
A comparison between a scene from the viral video and the visuals of Jwalapur Eidgah in Haridwar, can be seen below.
We also found a similar video posted on May 3, 2022, by a Facebook user that shows a similar crowd at the same location. Click here to view the post.
Furthermore, we found a local news bulletin that reported on the gatherings of Muslims in the area, which occurred on May 3, 2022, in celebration of Eid-Ul-Fitr.
Click hereto view the post.
The Hindi bulletin from Bharatvarsh24x7 News reported that the gathering took place on May 3, 2022, as Muslims offered Namaz in view of Eid-Ul-Fitr in the area. The report highlighted communal harmony, noting that Hindus in the vicinity provided food to the Muslims and extended good wishes for the occasion.
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