{"id":68893,"date":"2020-06-12T22:56:22","date_gmt":"2020-06-12T17:26:22","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.altnews.in\/english-clone-2026\/?p=68893"},"modified":"2021-08-14T12:50:01","modified_gmt":"2021-08-14T07:20:01","slug":"no-a-maulvi-did-not-perform-priyanka-gandhis-wedding-rituals","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.altnews.in\/english-clone-2026\/no-a-maulvi-did-not-perform-priyanka-gandhis-wedding-rituals\/","title":{"rendered":"No, a maulvi did not perform Priyanka Gandhi’s wedding rituals"},"content":{"rendered":"

A photograph of Priyanka Gandhi during her wedding rituals over 20 years ago has found itself in the crosshairs of rumour-mongering on social media. Several users on Twitter have claimed that the bearded man in the picture is a maulvi. Alt News has received verification requests for the image on WhatsApp.<\/p>\n

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The image is massively widespread on Facebook<\/a>.<\/p>\n

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[Complete Hindi text: \u0938\u092c\u0941\u0924 \u0938\u092c\u0941\u0924 \u0915\u0930\u0924\u0947 \u0939\u094b \u091a\u092e\u091a\u094b \u092f\u0947 \u0930\u0939\u093e \u0938\u092c\u0941\u0924 ! \u092a\u094d\u0930\u093f\u092f\u0902\u0915\u093e \u0917\u093e\u0902\u0927\u0940 \u0915\u0947 \u0928\u093f\u0915\u093e\u0939 \u092e\u0947\u0902 \u092a\u0927\u093e\u0930\u0947 \u0925\u0947 \u092e\u0939\u093e\u0928 \u092e\u094c\u0932\u0935\u0940\u0964\u0964 \u0939\u0930\u093e\u092e\u0940 \u0932\u094b\u0917 \u0939\u093f\u0928\u094d\u0926\u0942 \u092c\u094b\u0932\u0915\u0930 \u0939\u093f\u0928\u094d\u0926\u0941\u0913 \u0915\u093e \u0905\u092a\u092e\u093e\u0928 \u0915\u0930\u0924\u0947 \u0939\u0948\u0964 \u0938\u092c\u0942\u0924 \u0926\u0947\u0916\u0932\u094b \u0915\u093e\u092f\u0930\u094b \u0924\u0941\u092e\u094d\u0939\u0947 \u092e\u0942\u0930\u094d\u0916 \u092c\u0928\u093e\u0928\u0947 \u0935\u093e\u0932\u0947 \u092e\u0941\u0938\u094d\u0932\u093f\u092e \u0939\u0948\u0964\u0964 \u0915\u093e\u091c\u0940 \u0938\u093e\u0939\u092c \u0928\u093f\u0915\u093e\u0939 \u092a\u0922\u093c\u0928\u0947 \u0906\u092f\u0947 \u0925\u0947\u0964]<\/p>\n

The same image was viral last year with the claim that the maulvi is MP Shafiqur Rahman Virk who performed Islamic rituals in Priyanka Gandhi’s wedding. ‘Shafiqur Rahman Barq’ is an MP from the Samajwadi Party.<\/p>\n

The tweet below by Twitter handle @Callme_Varu_ garnered close to 400 retweets.<\/p>\n

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\u092a\u094d\u0930\u093f\u092f\u0902\u0915\u093e \u0917\u093e\u0902\u0927\u0940 \u0915\u0947 \u0935\u093f\u0935\u093e\u0939 \u0915\u0947 \u0938\u092e\u092f \u092e\u094c\u0932\u093e\u0928\u093e \u0914\u0930 \u0938\u0902\u0938\u0926 \u0938\u0926\u0938\u094d\u092f \u0936\u092b\u0940\u0915\u0941\u0930\u094d\u0930 \u0930\u0939\u092e\u093e\u0928 \u0935\u093f\u0930\u094d\u0915 \u0915\u094b \u0915\u0941\u091b \u0907\u0938\u094d\u0932\u093e\u092e\u0940 \u0930\u0935\u093e\u092f\u0924 \u0928\u093f\u092d\u093e\u0928\u0947 \u0915\u0947 \u0932\u093f\u090f \u0915\u094d\u092f\u094b\u0902 \u092c\u0941\u0932\u093e\u092f\u093e \u0917\u092f\u093e \u0925\u093e ?<\/p>\n

\u092a\u0942\u091b\u0924\u093e \u0939\u0948 \u092d\u093e\u0930\u0924 pic.twitter.com\/UutOuFl8aY<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 \u0935\u093e\u0930\u0941\u0923\u0940_ink (@Callme_Varu_) April 23, 2020<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Another user @\u00a0Real_Swatantra who mentions ‘BJP supporter’ in his bio shared the photograph with the same claim.<\/p>\n

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\u092a\u094d\u0930\u093f\u092f\u0902\u0915\u093e \u0917\u093e\u0902\u0927\u0940 \u0915\u0947 \u0935\u093f\u0935\u093e\u0939 \u0915\u0947 \u0938\u092e\u092f \u092e\u094c\u0932\u093e\u0928\u093e \u0914\u0930 \u0938\u0902\u0938\u0926 \u0938\u0926\u0938\u094d\u092f \u0936\u092b\u0940\u0915\u0941\u0930\u094d\u0930 \u0930\u0939\u092e\u093e\u0928 \u0935\u093f\u0930\u094d\u0915 \u0915\u094b \u0915\u0941\u091b \u0907\u0938\u094d\u0932\u093e\u092e\u0940 \u0930\u0935\u093e\u092f\u0924 \u0928\u093f\u092d\u093e\u0928\u0947 \u0915\u0947 \u0932\u093f\u090f \u0915\u094d\u092f\u094b\u0902 \u092c\u0941\u0932\u093e\u092f\u093e \u0917\u092f\u093e \u0925\u093e ?<\/p>\n

\u092a\u0942\u091b\u0924\u093e \u0939\u0948 \u092d\u093e\u0930\u0924 pic.twitter.com\/qOqz8JAhyf<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 \u0938\u094d\u0935\u0924\u0928\u094d\u0924\u094d\u0930 \u0920\u093e\u0915\u0941\u0930 \ud83d\udd49 (@Real_Swatantra) April 24, 2020<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Fact-check<\/h4>\n

The bearded man in the photograph is Pandit Iqbal Kishen Reu. He is the brother of Pandit Swaroop Kishen Reu, the first Kashmiri Pandit cricket umpire and a Padma Shri-awardee. According to a 2009 article on Kashmir Sentinel<\/a>, Pandit Iqbal Kishen Reu “was employed in the railways and had a thorough knowledge of Kashmiri Karm Kand. He was a practising Kul Purohit and used to perform religious rituals of his jajmans. After performing the marriage of Priyanka Gandhi with Robert Vadra in 1996 according to K.P’s traditions he left this job.” Kul Purohit means family priest.<\/p>\n

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That Iqbal Kishan Reu was the Gandhi family’s priest has also been stated in a feature on Priyanka Gandhi published in DailyO<\/a>.<\/p>\n

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Alt News spoke with Amrita Chak, ex-journalist, founding editor of Jacaranda Press, and a Kashmiri Pandit herself. “While I do not know Mr Kishen Reu personally, I spoke with many individuals in the Kashmiri Pandit community and they confirmed to me that the person in the picture is Iqbal Kishen Reu,” she informed.<\/p>\n

According to this tweet<\/a> by Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, the viral photograph is of the morning puja on the day of her wedding. In other pictures of the puja provided to Alt News by a Congress office-bearer, she can be seen performing Hindu rituals.<\/p>\n