Fact Check: ABP journalist's claims that viral video shows Moulvi kissing bride is FALSE
By Mounika Dasari Published on 27 Aug 2020 4:24 AM GMT
Hyderabad: On 19 August, a Facebook user posted a video showing a man affectionately kissing a bride on her cheek. It was claimed that the man was a Moulvi. Since then, the video has been circulating on social media.
On 23 August, Astha Kaushik, a journalist at ABP News, posted the video on Twitter with a caption that translated to, "Even the bride's mother and friends don't show affection in such a manner, and elders give affectionate blessings." This tweet got over 93,000 views, 2,100 retweets, and 7,200 likes.
On 24 August, Anima Sonka, the state joint secretary of Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP), Delhi, shared the video. The title translated to, "What is it called in the book of Quran? After signing Nikahnama, Mulla Ji is giving special blessings. Because in his most celebrated TV series "Satyamev Jayate" Mr.Secular Aamir Khan did not show any social evil in Islamic society!"
Archived claims can be found here and here.
Fact Check:
The claim that the person kissing the bride is Maulvi is FALSE. The person seen kissing the bride is not a Moulvi but the father of the bride.
On 19 August, a Facebook page, Islamabad style_icon, had uploaded the video with the caption, "Now my daughter begins a new lifeā¦ but I want her to know that her father will always be there for her."
Another page, zamalsamanphotography, a Pakistani-based company that does bridal photoshoots, had also posted the video on its Instagram page. However, the video had become viral with false claims, forcing the page to take down the video.
On 20 August, the page had posted a clarification on Instagram and Facebook stating that the claims being made on social media were fake.
The Facebook user who had posted the video, making it viral, realised his mistake and deleted the video. He also apologised for his mistake and said he did not know the man was the bride's father. But by then his video had been shared 251 times and received 450 reactions and over 650 comments.
A YouTube channel had posted a video debunking the false claims.
Hence, the claim that the viral video showed a Moulvi kissing the bride is FALSE.
