Fact Check: Video of burqa-clad woman hosting national flag is not collector from Karnataka

Hyderabad: A video showing a burqa-clad woman accompanied by police officers is viral on social media. Users claim that the video shows a collector in a burqa receiving an official salute during a flag-hoisting event in Karnataka.

An X (formerly Twitter) user shared the video with the caption, “A single wrong vote of Hindus can convert the country into an Islamic country. The beginning is already here. A collector in Karnataka state, while hoisting the flag, took a salute wearing a burqa. New beginning. Do you understand or else?” (Translated from Hindi)

Multiple Facebook users also shared the video claiming the same. Click here, here and here to view the links.

Fact Check

NewsMeter found that the video shows Saima Parveen Lone, the vice chairperson of the District Development Council of Kishtwar in Jammu and Kashmir.

On performing a reverse image search of the video’s keyframe, we found a still from the video in a report by The Munsif Daily titled ‘Video of Burqa Clad VC DDC Hoisting Flag, Inspecting Independence Day Parade, Goes Viral.’

The report said that amidst the ongoing anti-hijab movement in India, the vice chairperson of the District Development Council, Saima Parveen Lone, hoisted the national flag while donning a burqa and face hijab during the 77th Independence Day celebrations in Kishtwar district of Jammu and Kashmir.

We also found an extended version of the video published by Jammu and Kashmir-based local media outlet Fast News, on their Facebook page. The caption stated that Saima Parveen Lone had hoisted the national flag and addressed the public donning a hijab at Chowgan ground in Kishtwar in Jammu and Kashmir.

The Kishtwar district administration’s Facebook page posted photographs from the event. It is stated in the caption that the Independence Day celebration was led by DDC Vice Chairperson Saima Parveen Lone in Kishtwar’s Chowgan Ground.

Hence, we conclude that the video is not from Karnataka and does not show a collector hoisting the national flag in a burqa. The claim is false.