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| - Fact Check: Afzal Guru at peace over Pranab's death? That's a fake Rana Ayyub tweet
According to a screenshot circulating on social media, journalist Rana Ayyub has tweeted that "martyr" Afzal Guru will now feel at peace after the demise of former President Pranab Mukherjee who'd rejected his mercy plea.
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India Today Fact Check
The screenshot of the tweet is photoshopped. Rana Ayyub has made no such tweet linking Pranab Mukherjee’s death to Afzal Guru.
A screenshot of a tweet purportedly made by journalist Rana Ayyub is going viral on social media which says 2001 Parliament attack convict Afzal Guru is now at peace after the passing away of Pranab Mukherjee. The former President had rejected Afzal Guru’s mercy plea, leading to his hanging.
The tweet, with an image of Mukherjee, says, “The man who rejected martyr Afzal Guru’s petition is dead. Afzal Guru is at peace today!”
Multiple Facebook and Twitter users have shared the screenshot, condemning Rana Ayyub. Some of these Twitter accounts are even followed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and other Union ministers.
India Today Anti Fake News War Room (AFWA) has found that the screenshot is photoshopped. Rana Ayyub has made no such tweet linking Pranab Mukherjee’s death to Afzal Guru’s hanging.
The archived versions of the posts can be seen here, here,
AFWA probe
On Tuesday, September 1, Rana Ayyub tweeted the viral screenshot and complained against it to Twitter.
Hello @TwitterIndia this photoshopped tweet is being circulated and shared by thousands on all social media leading to targeted abuse and harassment pic.twitter.com/0RQtEEe37f — Rana Ayyub (@RanaAyyub) September 1, 2020
AFWA found that the viral image is indeed photoshopped, which can be identified easily on two counts. As we have shown below, the timestamp, seen beside every tweet, is missing in this image. Secondly, the editing and overlaying of Pranab Mukherjee’s picture is also evident.
We searched through Rana Ayyub’s original Twitter account using “Spoonbill” and found that she has not changed or removed anything after July 28 from her account. We also found that she has not tweeted anything related to Pranab Mukherjee’s death since August 31.
Checking her Twitter account, we found that Rana Ayyub has always been a staunch critic of Afzal Guru’s conviction and hanging.
Afzal Guru had alleged that Davinder Singh introduced him to one of the men who later attacked Parliament. He also claimed it was Singh who asked him to arrange for a car and a place to stay for the attacker.https://t.co/1MkNQORiV7 — Rana Ayyub (@RanaAyyub) January 14, 2020
But the viral screenshot of a tweet in Rana Ayyub’s name where she’s saying that Afzal Guru is at peace after Pranab Mukherjee’s death is photoshopped.
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