Authors
Pankaj Menon is a fact-checker based out of Delhi who enjoys ‘digital sleuthing’ and calling out misinformation. He has completed his MA in International Relations from Madras University and has worked with organisations like NDTV, Times Now and Deccan Chronicle online in the past.
A viral video, claiming to show a Muslim man performing namaz inside Mumbai local train, was found by Newschecker to be from Kolkata instead.
Several social media users shared the video with similar claims. BJP Delhi Spokesperson, Khemchand Sharma was among those who shared a still image from the video and lashed out at the Shiv Sena government for allowing namaz inside Mumbai local train.
Archived link of the same can be found here.
The Times of India also shared the same video on its website, with the title ‘Watch Viral Video: Passenger offers namaz in a moving local train in Mumbai’. An archived link of the webpage can be found here. The post, claiming to show namaz inside a Mumbai local train, has also been shared on Facebook and has received over 3000 interactions.
Another post by @Mumbaikhabar9 posted the same video on their page with the same claim, and received over 34 shares and 80 likes.
Newschecker also received a request on its WhatsApp helpline number (+91 9999499044), to fact-check the message.
Namaz in public places has become a matter of debate in recent days, especially in Gurugram, where right wing groups are protesting against the practice, alleging ‘capture of public spaces’.
Fact Check/Verification
Newschecker began by closely observing the video that has been widely shared online.
We noticed bits and pieces of conversation in Bengali throughout the video.
1 minute 38 Seconds into the video, one can hear the railway announcement in Hindi, intimating the passengers that the train has reached ‘Park Circus Station’.
As the train halts, one hears more people speaking in Bengali and rushing to find their seats towards the back of the compartment.
Hence we can conclude that the video is not from Mumbai local as is being claimed but from Kolkata.
Conclusion
The widely shared video of a man performing Namaz inside Mumbai local train is from Kolkata.
Result: Misplaced Content
Sources
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Authors
Pankaj Menon is a fact-checker based out of Delhi who enjoys ‘digital sleuthing’ and calling out misinformation. He has completed his MA in International Relations from Madras University and has worked with organisations like NDTV, Times Now and Deccan Chronicle online in the past.
