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| - Fact Check: Was Paresh Rawal pressed by a mob after fish remarks in Gujarat? Viral video is 5 years old
The viral video of Paresh Rawal offering an apology is five-years-old.
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India Today Fact Check
This video is from November 2017 when Rawal apologised to the Rajput community following remarks that were then called derogatory.
Actor-turned-politician Paresh Rawal landed in hot water following his recent remark on Bengalis and the consumption of fish. While campaigning for the Bharatiya Janata Party in Gujarat, Rawal said, "Gas cylinders are expensive but the prices will come down. People will get employment too. But what will happen if Rohingya migrants and Bangladeshis start living around you, like in Delhi? What will you do with gas cylinders? Cook fish for the Bengalis?"
Following this, a video of the veteran actor apologising to a mob has been making the rounds on social media.
Retired IAS officer Surya Pratap Singh tweeted the video, writing, "Voters have hit him back, now he is apologising in every street," alongside hashtags for Gujarat and Paresh Rawal. The video he shared also contained the Gujarati text, "If you stay within your limits, there will be no need to ask for forgiveness."
Some who shared the video also claimed that this video from Gujarat shows how locals pressed Rawal on unemployment and inflation, resulting in Rawal abandoning campaigning in the state amid the ongoing assembly polls. In this video, Rawal could be seen trying to calm a mob, offering an "unconditional apology" in Gujarati for his remarks. The archived versions of such posts can be seen here and here.
AFWA's investigation found that this clip is five years old and is now being shared with misleading claims.
AFWA PROBE
We searched online to check if Rawal and recently apologised to a crowd. This led us to an NDTV report from December 2 that he had apologised for his comments on Bengalis. He clarified that in his remarks, he was referring to “illegal Bangladeshis” and “Rohingyas”, adding that he did not mean to hurt Bengali sentiments.
However, we found no videos of Rawal tendering this apology in front of a mob. Subsequently, we reverse-searched keyframes from the viral video and that led us to a video uploaded to a YouTube channel on November 30, 2017, making it clear that the clip was at least five years old. The caption of the video suggested that Rawal offered his "unconditional apology" to the Rajput community.
WHY DID PARESH RAWAL APOLOGISE?
A keyword search led us to a DNA report from November 26, 2017, which said that Rawal apologised following remarks where he spoke about Sardar Patel at a rally in Rajkot, and compared the royals (raja) and music (vaja) to monkeys (vandra). Rawal, however, later tried to clarify and said that these words were addressed at the Nizam of Hyderabad and not Rajputs.
He said, “I apologise unconditionally to all the members of the Rajput community. I don't know why I spoke those words. I never intended to hurt the sentiments of any community,” adding, “My statement was not on the Rajput community. They are a splendour community in India and they make us proud. Nothing wrong will come out of my mouth against such a brave community.”
The news agency ANI also tweeted this, along with a photo where Rawal could be seen in the same attire he wore in the viral video.
Therefore, it is safe to conclude that the viral video of Paresh Rawal offering an apology is five-years-old.
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