A news clipping showing a Kashmiri muslim man apologising to Kashmiri pandits and collectively taking responsibility for their exodus is going viral on social media, along with the claim that the interview is from a Pakistani News channel. In the two minute clip, a man can be heard saying “Dozens of Kashmiri Pandits were killed. I have seen it with my own eyes. Those who were killed were neither stopping anyone’s freedom nor killing any Kashmiri Muslim. There were unarmed people. If that’s not a massacre, what is it?” He goes on to add that “Those crimes had been committed and for that, we should apologise to the Kashmiri Pandits.”

The video has been shared on Twitter by twitter user @sudiptaroy_adv which has garnered 8,335 views along with 244 likes and 114 retweets along with the caption ‘This young Kashmiri Muslim is saying “sorry for the Genocide to all Kashmiri Hindus” on a Pakistani channel.’ with #TheKasmirFiles.

Newschecker found similar claims on Twitter with different captions.

With the release of The Kashmir Files, a film based on the Kashmiri Pandit exodus from the valley, social media has been abuzz with misinformation. The film, The Kashmir Files is based on video interviews of the first generation victims of the genocide of Kashmiri Pandit community in 1990. According to some estimates, notably by the Kashmiri Pandit Sangharsh Samiti (KPSS), more than 70,000 families fled between 1990 and 1992. After the initial success of the film The Kashmir Files, after watching which many viewers were reduced to tears as displayed on various social media platforms. This film has sparked various debates across news channels whether the incidents shown in the film are true in nature.

Fact Check/ Verification

Newschecker conducted a Google reverse image search on the key-frames of the viral video to ascertain its authenticity and found a tweet shared by Javed Beigh who is the man speaking in the interview. In the tweet Javed Beigh wrote “Dear Friends, I am sharing video of my opinion that I expressed in Hindi on @AnnNewsKashmir on #TheKashmirFiles movie, brutal murder of our Kashmiri Pundit sister Girija Tikoo & unfortunate tragedy of forced exodus of our Kashmiri Pundit biradari. Sangrampora Beerwah Massacre” along with the same news clipping shown in the viral video.

Javed Beigh is the general secretary of People’s Democratic Front (Secular) in Kashmir and lives in Beerwah, Jammu And Kashmir. 

Newschecker found that the news clipping had the logo of ANN News. Upon performing a keyword search, Newschecker found the ANN News website. According to the website, “ANN, is a commercial television news network in INDIA run by ‘Aalimi News Network’ Pvt. Ltd. Corporation. ANN is the broadcast supplier of news programmes to all ANN-affiliated stations. It also operates the 24-hour cable Tv news channel.”

Newschecker also contacted senior journalist Mr. Tariq Bhat, ANN News who verified that the clipping is from ANN News. Tariq Bhat added “ANN News Network is a proudly Indian Kashmiri based news organisation based out of Srinagar, Jammu and Kashmir. Earlier people considered Kashmiri media to be pro-Pakistan but that is not the case anymore. After the abrogation of article 370, Kashmiri media wants to move forward with the parties in power in the state and the country.” 

Tariq Bhatt also sent us a news clipping of a panel discussion on ANN News  in which Hashim Qureshi, who is one of the founding members of Jammu Kashmir Liberation Front (JKLF) and is now the Chairman of Jammu Kashmir Democratic Liberation Party (JKDLP), said that ISI & Terrorists were responsible for the exodus of Kashmiri Pandits and where he was seen sincerely apologising to all the Kashmiri Pandits for what they have suffered.

Conclusion

According to the investigation conducted by Newschecker, the viral video of a Kashmi muslim man apologising to Kashmiri Pandits is from a Kashmir based news channel passed off as Pakistani News channel.

Result: Misleading Content/Partly False

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