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Fact Check
Claim
Video of Ram Navami procession carried out “safely” in Pakistan.
Fact
Video of Ram Navami procession in Jammu & Kashmir’s Srinagar, and not Pakistan.
Marred with violence, vandalism and stone pelting, the recent Ram Navami celebrations witnessed massive communal tensions across several states in north India such as West Bengal, Bihar and Gujarat . Social media platforms have since been flooded with unverified visuals to show the violence during the Hindu festival. In this backdrop, a video of a “peaceful” Ram Navami procession purportedly from Pakistan has raised many eyebrows online, with users wondering “how Hindus are not safe in a Hindu-majority country.”
Several social media users shared the viral footage of a procession with a caption in Hindi alleging, “Ram Navami is safe in Pakistan, but not safe in India, what does it mean??? Hindus are not safe in Hindu-majority India???”
However, Newschecker found that the video is not from Pakistan but from Jammu and Kashmir.
The video is doing the rounds on Facebook and Twitter with the same caption.
Such posts can be seen here, here, here, here, here and here.
Also Read: Stone-Pelters Detained In Vadodara? No, Viral Video Of Cops Rounding Up Men Has No Links To Ram Navami Violence
On translating the text overlay in the video with the help of Google lens, we found that it shows Sobha Yatra in Srinagar. Further, we spotted the watermark of VOA Urdu on the top right corner of the screen.
Taking a clue, we looked up the official social media handles of VOA Urdu and found that the viral footage was shared on their official Twitter handle on March 30, 2023, stating that the Kashmiri Pandits took out a procession “which reached its destination through various places in Srinagar,” adding that “Shobha Yatra” is an annual practice.
The video was also posted on their official Facebook handle with the same caption.
Also Read: Clashes And Confusion- Howrah Police and VHP at Odds Over Permission for Ram Navami Rally
Further, a keyword search for “Srinagar,” “Kashmiri Pandits,” & “Shobha Yatra” on YouTube led us to a video report by ANI News, dated March 30, 2023. Carrying visuals of a procession identical to the one seen in the viral video, the report stated, “A grand procession on the occasion of Ram Navami was taken out in Srinagar by the Kashmiri Pandits on March 30. People in a large number participated in the Yatra. The procession started at Tankipora and passed various cities before it reached Lal Chowk.”
Multiple other news outlets covered this procession in Srinagar. Such reports can be seen here, here, here and here.
Additionally, VOA Urdu Srinagar bureau confirmed to Newschecker that the viral video was from Srinagar.
We could thus conclude that the viral post claiming to show a “safe” Ram Navami procession in Pakistan is false. The video actually shows a Shobha Yatra in Jammu & Kashmir’s Srinagar, and not Pakistan.
Sources
Tweet By @voaurdu, Dated March 30, 2023
YouTube Video By ANI News, Dated March 30, 2023
Correspondence With VOA Urdu Srinagar Bureau On April 3, 2023
Self Analysis
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