A photograph of a crowd offering namaz at a ruined site is being shared on social media. One Shereen, who in her Twitter bio claims to be from Peshawar, Pakistan, posted the image with the claim that the image showed the last prayers at the site of the demolished Babri Masjid in Ayodhya before it is handed over to Hindus. “بابری مسجد میں آخری نماز ادا کر دی گئی۔۔ اس کے بعد مسجد ہندووں کے سپرد کردی جائے گی۔۔,” reads her message.

Several other people on Twitter and Facebook shared the photograph with a similar narrative.

OLD PHOTO OF FEROZSHAH KOTLA MOSQUE, DELHI

By performing a Google reverse image search, we found that the image dates back to 2008. The photograph was shot at the Ferozshah Kotla Mosque in New Delhi on December 9, 2008. It was clicked by photographer Gurinder Osan. According to the caption of the image available on Associated Press, “Muslims offered Eid al-Adha prayers at the site.”

An eleven-year-old photograph of namaz offered at the Ferozshah Kotla mosque in New Delhi was shared with the false claim that it showed the last prayers at the site of the demolished Babri Mosque in Ayodhya.

About the Author

Jignesh is a writer and researcher at Alt News. He has a knack for visual investigation with a major interest in fact-checking videos and images. He has completed his Masters in Journalism from Gujarat University.