A Mohammed Rafi song is viral on social media with the claim that the song that it was banned years ago by the Congress government upon protests by Pakistan. The message is further thanking the person who dug out the track and forwarded it on WhatsApp.
“इस गीत को रेडियो-सेलोन पर बजाय जाने का पाकिस्तान ने जबरदस्त विरोध किया था।उस वक्त की कांग्रेस-सरकार ने इसे बैन कर ठंडे बस्ते में डलवा दिया था।प्रणाम उस बंदे को, जिसने इसे निकाल कर वहाटस-एप्प पर डाल दिया। Pakistan protested massively when this song was played on Radio Ceylon. The Congress government of the time banned the song without taking any action. A salute to the man who dug out the song and uploaded it on WhatsApp.” – read the message circulated along with a video of the song.
इस गीत को रेडियो-सेलोन पर बजाय जाने का पाकिस्तान ने जबरदस्त विरोध किया था।उस वक्त की कांग्रेस-सरकार ने इसे बैन कर ठंडे बस्ते में डलवा दिया था।प्रणाम उस बंदे को🙏,जिसने इसे निकाल कर वहाटस-एप्प पर डाल दिया।👍👍👇👇👇👇👇
Posted by Vipan Goyal on Sunday, 16 June 2019
The video has been shared by multiple individual users and pages on Facebook.
Viral since March
The same Rafi song was also viral earlier in March this year in the backdrop of the Pulwama terror attack. It was, however, shared with a slightly different caption. It was claimed that the song, which was a part of a movie, was censored from the film fifty years ago. “पचास साल पहले इस गाने को सेंसर ने कटवा दिया था लेकिन क्यों? सुने मोहम्मद रफी की आवाज में यह गीत जो कभी रिलीज नहीं हो पाया सुन कर बताइये! क्या कारण रहे होंगे (Fifty years ago, why was this song censored and cut? Listen in Mohammed Rafi’s voice the song that wasn’t released. What must have been the reason?),” read the accompanying caption.
पचास साल पहले इस गाने को सेंसर ने कटवा दिया था ! लेकिन क्यों?
सुने मोहम्मद रफी की आवाज में यह गीत जो कभी रिलीज नहीं हो पायासुन कर बताइये ! क्या कारण रहे होंगे
Posted by Hardip Singh Chumber on Thursday, 21 March 2019
The claim was viral on Facebook.
Some Twitter users had also shared the song with the identical caption.
पचास साल पहले इस गाने को सेंसर ने कटवा दिया था ! लेकिन क्यों?
सुने मोहम्मद रफी की आवाज में यह गीत जो कभी रिलीज नहीं हो पायासुन कर बताइये ! क्या कारण रहे होंगे pic.twitter.com/FSr5F8hIyT
— Jay D ( JD)🇮🇳 (@jay63536736) March 8, 2019
The song was also shared with the same caption that is being used to currently circulate it, however, with an English text – “this song was opposed by Pakistan and Radio Ceylon was told not to play this song. Our Congress govt. also quietly banned this song. Hats off to the person who now brought this song to YouTube,” reads the caption.
@INCIndia @RahulGandhi this song was opposed by Pakistan and Radio Ceylon was told not to play this song. Our Congress govt. also quietly banned this song.Hats off to the person who now brought this song out pic.twitter.com/zmvQpRL0YN
— Shanti Gm (@ShantiGm1) May 11, 2019
Fact-check
The song viral on social media is ‘Jannat ki hai Tasveer’ and was part of the movie ‘Johar in Kashmir’ released in 1966. The film was set in Kashmir, circa late 1940s, after India was partitioned.
Alt News found a Gazette of India document from 1966, which included official orders by the Central Board of Film Censor, Ministry of Information and Broadcasting. As seen in the screenshot below, only the underlined words ‘Haji Pir’ were asked to be deleted from the song. Some of the lines mentioned in the official document cannot be found in the lyrics of the song available online, hinting that the lyrics were modified after the censor board order.
Alt News contacted Mohammed Rafi’ son, Shahid Rafi, for further insights. “That the song was censored is completely false. It was neither banned nor censored.” Shahid Rafi informed Alt News. “How could the song be a part of ‘Johar in Kashmir’ if it was banned?” he added.
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