Fact Check: 2016 photo of Kejriwal passed off as CM offering prayers at Jama Masjid on 1 Jan 2021
photo of Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal allegedly offering prayers at Jama Masjid in Delhi on the first day of the new year
By Newsmeter Network Published on 2 Jan 2021 12:40 PM GMT
Hyderabad: A photo of Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal allegedly offering prayers at Jama Masjid in Delhi on the first day of the new year has gone viral on social media.
One Twitter user shared the photo and wrote, "Big news: On the first day of the new year, Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal offered namaz at Jama Masjid and prayed for Delhi and the country." (archive)
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Fact Check:
NewsMeter found that the claim that Mr. Kejriwal offered prayers at Jama Masjid in Delhi on the first day of the new year is FALSE. The viral photo is from 2016.
We performed a reverse image search and found a tweet by the Aam Aadmi Party Punjab with the same photo from July 2016. The caption when translated read, "Happy Eid to you all."
We also found another photo from the same day on HTDS content services and Getty Images with the caption, "Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal in skull cap offers prayers with devotees before breaking the Roza on the Holy Month of Ramzan at Malerkotla in Sangrur on July 4, 2016 in Patiala, India."
It is clear that the viral photo has been on the Internet since 2016 and the claim that the CM offered prayers on 1 January at Jama Masjid is FALSE. The photo shows Mr. Kejriwal offering prayers during the holy month of Ramzan at Malerkotla in Sangrur in Punjab in 2016.
