Authors
Vasudha noticed the growing problem of mis/disinformation online after studying New Media at ACJ in Chennai and became interested in separating facts from fiction. She is interested in learning how global issues affect individuals on a micro level. Before joining Newschecker’s English team, she was working with Latestly.
A video is going viral on social media platforms claiming to show BJP leader Yogesh Sagar objecting against alleged road closure by Shiv Sena for ‘namaz’ in Mumbai’s Kandivali. In the video, Sagar can be seen pushing aside a barricade and arguing with the police. However, Newschecker found the claim to be misleading.
The clip is doing the rounds on Facebook.
Twitter users have also shared the video.
Multiple incidents of disruption of Friday ‘Namaz’ in open places by right-wing groups were reported in Gurugram last year. In December 2021, BJP leader and Haryana CM Manohar Lal Khattar had said, “We won’t tolerate the custom of offering namaz in the open” and hoped to find an amicable solution to resolve the matter.
The Gurugram Nawaz row reached the Supreme Court in December last year. In a recent development, the apex court has agreed to hear a contempt plea filed by former Rajya Sabha member Mohammad Adeeb, demanding action against Haryana government officials over Friday ‘namaz’ disruptions by right-wing groups in Gurugram.
According to the plea, the incidents around Friday Namaz took place at the behest of certain “identifiable hooligans, who portray themselves falsely in the name of religion and seek to create an atmosphere of hatred and prejudice against one community across the city.”
Newschecker has debunked several communally charged misinformation that has been finding its way to social media in the recent past. You can read our fact checks here, here and here.
Fact Check/Verification
To verify the veracity of the viral claim that BJP leader Yogesh Sagar protested against Shiv Sena for closing roads for ‘namaz’, Newschecker began by conducting Google reverse image searches by using keyframes of the video along with keywords ‘Sagar Yogesh Kandivali’ and found a link to a post shared on the official Facebook account of BJP MLA Yogesh Sagar, dated February 16, 2022.
The post carried the viral video along with the caption in Marathi clarifying that the clip doesn’t have any links to ‘Namaz’. He wrote, “MVA should stop misusing police force and harassing common citizens. I raised some issues in front of the police on the day of Congress march near MP Shri Gopal Shetty’s house, and this is the video of the controversy. Some people have tried to link this video with some parties and Namaz. I condemn all these people spreading lies and creating chaos!”
The video was also shared on the official Twitter account of BJP Mumbai with similar caption and was retweeted by Sagar.
Taking a clue, we conducted keyword search for ‘BJP MLA Sagar Yogesh Police Congress’ on Google and found a video report by in24News, dated February 18, 2022, with the title ‘BJP MLA Yogesh Sagar stunned after seeing police barricade.’
According to the report, the Congress workers were protesting near BJP MP Gopal Shetty’s residence in Kandivali over PM Narendra Modi’s recent remark blaming Maharashtra for increasing COVID cases, and the police put barricades and diverted the traffic to avoid any “unpleasant” incident. Meanwhile, Sagar reached the spot and started removing the barricade on his own citing inconvenience to the public, resulting in an argument between the BJP leader and police officials.
We also found the same report on the official YouTube channel of in24News. Keyframes of the viral video can be seen in the report.
On further keyword search, we found a YouTube video uploaded on the official channel of TV9 Marathi, dated February 16, 2022, with the title in Marathi which translates to ‘BJP MLA Yogesh Sagar fights with police.’
According to the report, “Congress agitation took place on Wednesday in front of the house of BJP MP Gopal Shetty. To prevent any untoward incident the police took several measures. The road was diverted with barricades to prevent BJP-Congress workers from clashing with each other. However, BJP MLA Yogesh Sagar reached the spot and tried to remove the barricades. This led to a confrontation between police officials and the BJP leader.”
A report by ETV Bharat also carried the video and added that MLA Sagar tried to remove the barricades, which were put up by the police to avoid any untoward incident amid protests by Congress workers, and when police tried to stop him, an argument broke out between them.
Reports related to Congress workers’ protests in Mumbai over PM Modi’s remarks can be read here, here and here.
Conclusion
The claim that BJP MLA Yogesh Sagar protested against Shiv Sena for “closing road for namaz” in Kandivali is misleading. In the viral video, Sagar can be seen removing the barricades that were put up by the police amid Congress workers’ protests in Mumbai.
Result: Misleading Content
Sources
Facebook Account Of Yogesh Sagar
YouTube Channels Of in24News & TV9 Marathi
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Authors
Vasudha noticed the growing problem of mis/disinformation online after studying New Media at ACJ in Chennai and became interested in separating facts from fiction. She is interested in learning how global issues affect individuals on a micro level. Before joining Newschecker’s English team, she was working with Latestly.
