Fact Check: Sikh man being baptized in viral video is neither Channi nor Sidhu
A video of a Sikh man being baptized is circulating on social media with the claim that he is the newly-appointed Punjab Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi.
By Newsmeter Network Published on 10 Oct 2021 6:09 PM IST
Hyderabad: A video of a Sikh man being baptized is circulating on social media with the claim that he is the newly-appointed Punjab Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi.
The claim reads, "Punjab CM CHANNI being BAPTIZED. Punjab Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi has converted to Christianity!!"
A few other social media users claim that the man is former cricketer Navjot Singh Sidhu. NewsMeter received requests to fact-check the claim.
Fact Check
The man in the video is neither Channi nor Sidhu.
At the 00:10 mark we can hear the priest saying, "...I baptize Simranjit Singh as Samuelā¦"
In baptism ceremonies, priests call out the names of the individuals before they are baptized. Here the man who is identified as Simranjit Singh is being baptized and is converting to Christianity.
Second, we compared the photo of the man in the viral video to Channi and Sidhu's photo and found no similarities.
Further, had Charanjit Singh Channi or Navjot Singh Sidhu converted to Christianity, there would have been news reports about it. We found no such reports.
Lately, there have been several posts claiming that Channi and Sidhu are Christians. Although NewsMeter could not independently verify their religious affiliation, it is clear that the man in the viral video is neither Channi nor Sidhu.
Thus, the claim is false.
