Old video reshared to falsely claim 'new Indian state leader comments on Muslim procession'

This article is more than one year old.
Published on January 3, 2024 at 03:25
3 min read
By Devesh MISHRA, AFP India

An old video has been shared thousands of times on Indian social media falsely claiming that it shows Mohan Yadav -- who became Madhya Pradesh's new chief minister after the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) was handed an electoral victory in the state in December 2023 -- criticising those who took part in a traditional Islamic procession for "chanting pro-Pakistan slogans". However, the video is in fact from 2021 and shows a different BJP legislator Rameshwar Sharma speaking to journalists.

The clip was shared here on Facebook on December 13, 2023, and has since been viewed more than 3,000 times.

"He wasn't made the chief minister just like that, he deserved the post. Listen to the straightforward words of Madhya Pradesh's new chief minister Dr Mohan Yadav," reads the Hindi-language caption.

The one-minute, 47-second video shows a man criticising those who took part in a traditional Islamic Muharram procession in the central Indian city of Ujjain for "chanting pro-Pakistan slogans".

"Everyone should understand one thing -- this is India and whatever you do here has to be done according to the Indian constitution," the man says. "Those chanting pro-Pakistan slogans on Indian soil will be crushed and the law will tighten its hold on such people."

He goes on to say that Muslims living in India who chant slogans in support of Pakistan should live there instead.

Screenshot of the false Facebook post, taken on December 18, 2023

The false claim surfaced after Yadav was named Madhya Pradesh's new chief minister, following the BJP's victory in the state elections on December 3 (archived links here and here).

Prime Minister Narendra Modi's BJP has become the dominant force in Indian politics thanks to its muscular appeals to the country's Hindu majority, emboldening the faith's hardliners.

Calls for India to enshrine Hindu supremacy in law have rapidly grown louder since he took office in 2014, making its 210-million-odd Muslims increasingly anxious about their future.

The video was shared alongside similar false claims on Facebook here and here, and on X here.

However, the video is from 2021 and the man speaking is Rameshwar Sharma -- a member of the Legislative Assembly (MLA) in Madhya Pradesh -- not Yadav.

2021 video

A keyword search on Facebook found the same video uploaded by a local news outlet Bundeli Halchal on August 22, 2021 (archived link).

The video is titled "After the Ujjain incident, MLA Rameshwar Sharma's big statement -- 'If you raise slogans of Pakistan Zindabad on Indian soil, you will be crushed'".

The video's description states it shows Sharma speaking to journalists after anti-India slogans were chanted by people during rallies to mark the Muharram -- the first month of the Islamic calendar.

Below is a screenshot comparison of the video in the false posts (left) and the Bundeli Halchal Facebook video (right):

Screenshot comparison of the video in the false posts (left) and the Bundeli Halchal Facebook video (right)

Sharma can be heard making the same remarks as those in the false video.

At least one other Indian outlet -- Khabar Ka Asar -- has published the same video of Sharma making the remarks (archived link).

The Hindustan Times reported on August 21, 2021 that seven people were arrested after a crowd in Ujjain City gathered for a Muharram procession and chanted pro-Pakistan slogans (archived link).

Other local news outlets also reported on Sharma's remarks here and here (archive links here and here).

Sharma uploaded a picture of himself and Yadav on Instagram on December 11, where he congratulated the new chief minister on his appointment (archived link).

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