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| - Fact Check: "Reports" claiming BJP's role behind Trupti Desai's visit to Sabarimala are fake
Gender rights activist Trupti Desai's attempts to visit the Sabarimala temple in Kerala had gained national attention in 2018 and 2019. Women of menstrual age group were not allowed to enter the Sabarimala temple until 2018.
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India Today Fact Check
Conclusion: BJP’s Kerala State vice president Sobha Surendran has not made any such statement. A screenshot circulating in the name of Manorama Online is fake.
Gender rights activist Trupti Desai’s attempts to visit the Sabarimala temple in Kerala had gained national attention in 2018 and 2019. Women of menstrual age group were not allowed to enter the Sabarimala temple until 2018.
Now, a screenshot in the name of Manorama Online, claims that BJP’s Kerala state vice president Sobha S said the state’s party president K Surendran was the mastermind behind Desai’s attempt to enter Sabarimala. Manorama Online is the digital wing of Malayalam daily Malayala Manorama.
The headline on the purported screenshot translates to, “Trupti Desai visited Sabarimala as per K Surendran's instructions: Sobha Surendran”.
India Today Anti Fake News War Room (AFWA) has found that the viral screenshot is morphed. BJP’s Kerala vice president Sobha S confirmed to AFWA that she has not made any such statement against any of the BJP leaders on the Sabarimala matter.
The screenshot has gone viral at a time when Kerala is preparing for the local body elections which will be held in December this year.
The archived versions of similar posts can be seen here (http://archive.today/acjTk), here, here, here and here.
AFWA probe
Earlier this month, BJP state vice president Sobha lashed out at the State leadership of the party and sent a complaint to the national leadership accusing the State president K. Surendran of trying to sideline her.
However, no report was found by Manorama Online or any other media house on Sobha saying BJP or any of its leaders are behind Desai’s attempt to visit Sabarimala.
When we compared the viral screenshot to other published articles of Manorama Online, we found an evident disparity in the format of the dateline in the viral screenshot.
Here is a comparison of the viral screenshot and the sample of an original article published by Manorama Online.
AFWA reached out to Santhosh George Jacob, co-ordinating editor of Manorama Online, who confirmed that the viral screenshot is fake.
“The viral screenshot is fake. We have not published any such article and the BJP’s state vice president has not made such a remark. In recent days many such fake screenshots are circulating in the name of Malayala Manorama. We have decided to take this up legally,” Santhosh said to AFWA.
The organisation has also released an official clarification note on the matter.
AFWA also reached out to Sobha who confirmed to us that she has not made such a statement and the viral claim is false.
“I never made such a statement on the Sabarimala matter. Manorama also confirmed to me that the screenshot is fake and they have not published such an article. We have decided to demand legal action on the matter,” the BJP state vice president said.
A clarification note on the matter was also uploaded on the verified Facebook page of Sobha and BJP’s Kerala division.
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