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| - Fact Check: Yes, Bhagwant Mann took a photo with a Goldy Brar, but this wasn't Sidhu Moose Wala's alleged murderer
Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann took a picture with a man named Goldy Brar but it is not the man involved in the murder of singer and politician, Sidhu Moose Wala.
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India Today Fact Check
The man in the photo with Bhagwant Mann is also called Goldy Brar. He is a farmer from Fazilka in Punjab. He has no connection with the Canada-based gangster allegedly involved with Moose Wala's murder.
The name Goldy Brar has been all over social media following the assassination of Punjabi singer Shubhdeep Singh Sidhu, known popularly as Sidhu Moose Wala. Brar, along with others, has allegedly claimed responsibility for the murder.
The Punjabi singer and Congress leader’s death followed the Punjab Police withdrawing security for 424 people, including him. Following Moose Wala’s death, the Punjab government faced harsh criticism. Amid the online hullabaloo, a photo of Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann and another man went viral with a string of questionable claims.
The photo was a screengrab of a Facebook post made by a man called Goldy Brar on March 10. Standing alongside him in a photo was the Punjab CM. The caption said, "Congratulations CM saab.”
This screengrab was shared with a wild claim. It said, “Sidhu Moosewala’s murder conspirator gangster Goldy Brar is in Canada. Canada is home to Khalistanis. Bhagwant Mann govt removed Sidhu’s security yesterday. Sidhu is killed today. Connect the dots What is the connection between Canada based Goldy Brar who is taking credit for the assassination of Moose Wala and Punjab CM Mann? Below is the picture of the two.”
Similar posts can be seen here, here, and here.
Did Mann really meet the man who allegedly murdered the Punjabi singer and political rival? And did the two pose for a photo after Mann was elected to the Chief Minister’s office?
India Today Anti Fake News War Room’s (AFWA) investigation found that the photo was real, and the man standing with Mann is indeed called Goldy Brar. However, he is not the gangster suspected to be involved in Moose Wala’s murder.
READ MORE: Fact Check: Far from his last, this Sidhu Moose Wala interview with Sonam Bajwa is more than a year old
The namesake
A reverse search of the photo led us to the Facebook profile of Goldy Brar. On March 10, the day the Aam Aadmi Party won 92 of Punjab’s 117 assembly constituencies, Brar shared his photo with Mann.
On his Facebook profile, we found another video from May 29, the day Moose Wala was assassinated. It was captioned in Punjabi, “I am Goldy Brar, son of Rajinder Singh, resident of village Jandwala. My picture is being misused on social media after today's tragic incident, the murder of Sidhu Moose Wala. I will take legal action against those people.”
In the video, he appealed to the Punjab government to take action against those spreading misinformation about his involvement with Moose Wala’s assassination.
To further clarify the matter, India Today got in touch with Brar, a farmer from the Fazilka district in Punjab. He said that he had no connection with the man allegedly involved in Moose Wala’s murder — except for his name.
Speaking about the photo, Brar said that he volunteered for the AAP during its 2022 Punjab assembly polls campaign. He said that he met Mann at Mohali in January and that’s where the two posed for the photo. Following the AAP’s historic victory in Punjab, he shared the photo on Facebook.
The other Goldy
As per reports, Punjab Police said that aside from Brar, gangster Lawrence Bishnoi was involved in the killing. Lucky, a member of the Lawrence Bishnoi gang, has taken responsibility from Canada.
Vicky Middukhera was a Youth Akali Dal leader who was shot dead in Mohali, in August 2021. Middukhera reportedly was close to Bishnoi. The name of Shagan Preet Singh, Moose Wala’s manager, had cropped up in connection with the murder. Singh reportedly fled from India to Australia before the police could reach him. Gurlal Brar was Goldy Brar’s cousin. The Students' Organisation of Panjab University leader was killed in 2020.
So, while a man named Goldy Brar has claimed responsibility for the murder of Sidhu Moose Wala, the man in the photo with Bhagwant Mann — also called Goldy Brar — has no connection with that.
(Written by Yash Mittal)
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