A video of former AIMIM MLA Waris Pathan was shared by BJP MP Arjun Singh with the claim that Pathan is threatening Mumbai police during the lockdown. In the video, Pathan can be heard telling a cop to not disrupt people from offering namaz. “These people have been praying here for the last 40 years. Do not try shutting down the mosque, do not try to shut down the loudspeakers,” he says.

Actor and BJP supporter Payal Rohatgi shared the clip on May 1.

Facebook user Ankur Gupta shared the video with the following caption – “#Warispathan…. See their dadagiri with our Coronavirus warriors who is doing their duty towards us to save our lives & these type of mullahs are threatening the police officer who is doing his duty very honestly.”

 

#Warispathan..🐷.. See their dadagiri with our Coronavirus warriors who is doing their duty towards us to save our lives & these type of mullahs are threatening the police officer who is doing his duty very honestly

Posted by Ankur Gupta on Tuesday, 28 April 2020

The video is viral on Twitter and Facebook. Alt News has also received multiple fact-check requests on its official mobile application.

Video from 2016

The viral video carries the words ‘Mumbai Live’ on the top right corner.

A keyword search on Youtube – ‘Waris Pathan police Mumbai Live’ – took us to the same video uploaded by the channel on November 18, 2016. The description of the video is as follows – “Video of MIM MLA Waris Pathan abusing police has gone viral. This happened when police asked Pathan to lower down the loud speaker’s voice which did not go well with Pathan and he started abusing the police.”

In the complete video, one can hear Pathan asking the cop to let the hospital and mosque function per usual since they have permission till 10 PM. Further in the clip, he addresses the crowd – “You all don’t break law and order. They [police] are not troubling us. They are supporting us. It is our duty to stay within the bounds of law and order.”

Mumbai Live had also carried an article on the incident. A YouTube channel AIMIM India had shared the video on November 14, 2016, with the following caption – “Yesterday’s Night Situation was tensed at Byculla due to issue of Loudspeakers at Mosque..Police were harassing locals..AIMIM Byculla MLA Advocate Waris Pathan intervens and solved the issue..Thousands gathered on streets..Thanks to our Brave Daring MLA Waris Pathan.”

Pathan took to Twitter to call-out the misinformation.

Therefore, BJP MP Arjun Singh targetted AIMIM leader Waris Pathan using an old video. He falsely claimed that Pathan threatened policemen to keep mosques open during the lockdown imposed due to coronavirus outbreak.

[Update: Payal Rohatgi’s tweet was added to the report on May 1.]

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About the Author

Kinjal Parmar holds a Bachelor of Science in Microbiology. However, her keen interest in journalism, drove her to pursue journalism from the Indian Institute of Mass Communication. At Alt News since 2019, she focuses on authentication of information which includes visual verification, media misreports, examining mis/disinformation across social media. She is the lead video producer at Alt News and manages social media accounts for the organization.