Viral video of people offering namaz in Delhi is from March 20, before the lockdown
A video of rows of people offering namaz on an open ground is being shared on social media. The 1:08 long clip identifies the place as a ground opposite to the industrial area in Patparganj, Delhi. The man recording the video asks, “Look. Are people not scared of corona here? This should be stopped.”
Claim: “यह हालात हैं दिल्ली के पटपड़गंज के रोड पर जो मस्जिद बनी हुई है उस पर सरेआम कानून की धज्जियां उड़ाई जा रही है और अरविंद केजरीवाल बोल रहे हैं कि आप हमें सुझाव दो हमें क्या करना चाहिए शर्म आनी चाहिए केजरीवाल को”
(Translation: This is the condition in Delhi’s Patparganj, where there is a mosque on the road and the law is blatantly disregarded. Arvind Kejriwal asks us for solutions as to what should be done. Kejriwal should be ashamed.)
Roop Darak, who posts Fake News frequently has deleted his tweet below (retweeted by more than 2800 people) when Delhi Police replied to it claiming it as false.
The video posted by user Alok Verma was viewed over 10,000 times and shared by more than 830 users.
(Archived)
(Archived)
BJYM Telangana’s official spokesperson Roop Darak had tweeted the viral video as well but deleted it later. Archived link here.
यह हालात दिल्ली के पटपड़गंज के रोड पर जो मस्जिद बनी हुई है उस पर सरेआम कानून की धज्जियां उड़ाई जा रही है और अरविंद केजरीवाल बोल रहे हैं कि आप हमें सुझाव दो हमें क्या करना चाहिए शर्म आनी चाहिए केजरीवाल को@ArvindKejriwal @DelhiPolice @BJP4Delhi @Rajatdelhi12 @bhagatsingharmy pic.twitter.com/jN9mHiMpNm
— Diksha Kaushik दीक्षा कौशिक (@MsDikshaKaushik) May 13, 2020
(Archived)
The video was also shared by the Gujarat Hindu Yuva Vahini’s official handle.
यह हालात दिल्ली के पटपड़गंज के रोड पर जो मस्जिद बनी हुई है उस पर सरेआम कानून की धज्जियां उड़ाई जा रही है और @ArvindKejriwal बोल रहे हैं कि आप हमें सुझाव दो हमें क्या करना चाहिए शर्म आनी चाहिए केजरीवाल को… @msisodia @YogiDevnathji @Rajput_Ramesh pic.twitter.com/c01SezNGCI
— Hindu Yuva Vahini Gujarat (@HyvGujarat) May 14, 2020
(Archived)
Truth
After using reverse image search on a screenshot of the video, we could find its oldest posts on social media.
The video was first posted on BJP Delhi’s IT and Social media head, Abhishek Dubey’s Twitter handle on March 20, 2020.
दिल्ली के उप मुख्यमंत्री @msisodia जी के पटपड़गंज विधानसभा में #कोरोना का कोई डर नही है जहाँ पूरी दुनिया इस महामारी के डर से बाहर नही निकल रही है वही यहाँ 100 से ज्यादा लोग नवाज़ अदा कर रहे दिल्ली के मुख्यमंत्री @ArvindKejriwal आप बोलते हो को 20 से ज्यादा लोग एक साथ ना निकले pic.twitter.com/0w8OjRPIMy
— Abhishek dubey (@mrabhishekbjp1) March 20, 2020
The tweet translates to – “Delhi’s deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia’s constituency Patparganj is not worried about coronavirus. The whole world is scared of this pandemic and staying indoors, and here there are over 100 people gathered to offer namaz. Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal, you say that more than 20 people should not gather.”
This video is 1:26 minutes long and the person recording the video can clearly be heard saying ” आज 20 तारीख को…” (Today on the 20th…), thereby verifying the date of the video.
India went into a nationwide lockdown to fight coronavirus on March 25, 2020, 4 days after the video was shot. The people gathered to offer namaz were not violating any lockdown rules.
Moreover, DCP East Delhi’s Twitter handle replied to Roop Darak’s tweet (deleted now), saying “This is false. An old video is being circulated with malicious intent. Please verify facts before posting.”
This is false.
An old video is being circulated with malicious intent.
Please verify facts before posting.
— DCP East Delhi (@DCPEastDelhi) May 14, 2020
Therefore, this video was shot on March 20, before the lockdown and the people gathered to offer namaz are not violating any laws.
