fact check
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Both versions of the viral clipping are fake; There is no evidence for the claim that Uddhav Thackeray has apologized to Muslim leaders or organized any such meeting.
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What is the claim?
A newspaper clipping is being shared on social media, in which it is claimed that Shiv Sena leader Uddhav Thackeray has apologized for his involvement in the 1992 Mumbai riots.
Occurred between December 1992 and January 1993 Mumbai riots of 1992–93 They were enraged due to the demolition of Babri Masjid in Ayodhya. At least 900 people died in these riots.
Although former Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray was not directly involved in the violence, his father, Shiv Sena founder Bal Thackeray, has been accused of inciting communal violence. Blame It was felt.
Amid Maharashtra Assembly elections, a purported news clipping from Hindi newspaper Rashtriya Ujala claims that Thackeray has apologized for his involvement in the 1992 riots, with the headline reading, “It was a mistake to be involved in the 1992 riots , please forgive me.”
The report claimed that this apology was sought during a meeting with Muslim leaders including Mufti Mohammad Ismail, Arif Shaikh and Farooq Shah, who reportedly confirmed the statement.
The post claimed that Thackeray’s apology was a political move to garner Muslim votes in the recently held Maharashtra Assembly elections, following the Shiv Sena faction’s poor performance in Hindu-majority areas during the 2019 Lok Sabha elections. . The report said this change in political strategy, which is being seen as an attempt at Muslim appeasement, is upsetting Shiv Sena workers, who feel it is contrary to the Hindu ideology espoused by Balasaheb Thackeray.
On X, this post was shared with this caption: “Who was boasting till yesterday that Shiv Sena saved Mumbai from the 1992 riots, today Uddhav Thackeray is seen apologizing to the Muslim community for the same riots. ” Multiple archive versions of posts Here, Here, Here, Here And Here Can be seen.
Screenshots of viral posts. (Source: X/Screenshot)
The Marathi version of this news clipping has also been shared by social media users, including BJP leader Nitish Rane. There is no mention of Rashtriya Ujala in the Marathi version, but it has the same headline and content. Archives of these posts Here, Here, Here And Here Can be seen.
Screenshots of viral posts. (Source: X/Screenshot)
However, our investigation found both versions of the newspaper clipping to be fake, and there is no evidence that Thackeray held any such meeting or apologized to Muslim leaders.
How do we know the truth?
Intensive investigation revealed that no credible report was found confirming that Uddhav Thackeray held any such meeting or apologized. If such a statement had been made, it would have been widely discussed in the local and national media.
The viral Hindi newspaper clipping has been credited to ‘Rashtriya Ujala’ and a reporter named ‘Pranav Dogra’ has been credited as its author. However, in our investigation, Hindi language newspapers with the same name in India daily national light No such article was found on its website.
On November 19, Rashtriya Ujala facebook page Issued a clarification on (archive Here), which confirmed that fake newspaper clippings were being circulated in his name. The publication also clarified that ‘Pranav Dogra’ is not associated with their newspaper.
Logically Facts contacted Jyoti Narayan, owner, printer and publisher of Rashtriya Ujala, who said, “Our publication has no connection with this fabricated news. The disputed content is completely baseless and aimed at tarnishing the reputation and credibility of Rashtriya Ujala. To mislead the public by tarnishing it.”
What are the discrepancies?
On examining the archive e-paper of Dainik Rashtriya Ujala, several discrepancies were found in the viral clipping with the name of the publication.
Fake report title font Asli Rashtriya Jajala Report Quite different from the style used in.
Comparison of viral news clip and report published by daily Rashtriya Ujala. (Source: X/Dainik Rashtriya Ujala/Screenshot)
authentic report Typically begins with the city name, followed by “Agency” in Hindi, such as “New Delhi (Agency)” or simply the city name, such as “Panchkula.” In contrast, the credit for the article in the viral clipping has been given to “Pranav Dogra Rashtriya Ujala”, which is different from the standard format of the publication.
Comparison of viral news clip and report published by daily Rashtriya Ujala. (Source: X/Dainik Rashtriya Ujala/Screenshot)
Additionally, in the original Rashtriya Ujala report Topic one below colorful box In sub headline It happens. This is not visible in the viral clipping and instead an unformatted strap has been used, which further highlights its inauthenticity.
Comparison of viral news clip and report published by daily Rashtriya Ujala. (Source: X/Dainik Rashtriya Ujala/Screenshot)
These discrepancies clearly show that the viral clipping was created with the aim of misleading readers and does not comply with the editorial standards of Rashtriya Ujala.
Marathi newspaper clipping
The Marathi newspaper clip, with a credit line in the name of ‘Rahul Pandre, Mumbai correspondent’, reiterates Thackeray’s claims of an alleged apology to Muslims. However, no journalist named Rahul Pandre exists, and no credible media outlet has published this story.
Rashtriya Ujala has confirmed that it does not have any reporter by this name, the newspaper is not published in Marathi and its Hindi print edition is limited to select readers in Uttar Pradesh and Delhi NCR.
On November 18, Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Priyanka Chaturvedi criticized a journalist for sharing the clip, calling it fake dubbed (archive HereShiv Sena instagram post I also rejected this claim (archive Here,
Screenshot of Shiv Sena’s Instagram post. (Source: Instagram/Screenshot)
decision
Viral newspaper clipping claiming Uddhav Thackeray has apologized for the 1992 Mumbai riots is fake. Rashtriya Ujala has denied any connection with the credited writer of this story, Pranab Dogra, while in the second version, there is no journalist named Rahul Pandre credited for the story. Moreover, no credible media has reported this story.