A photograph has been shared widely by social media users with the clam that it shows Union Home Minister Amit Shah touching the feet of self-proclaimed spiritual guru Nithyananda.

Amit shah touching the feet of the notorious Swami Nityanand.

Posted by Subhir Rajan Mavunkal on Saturday, December 7, 2019

The above post by an individual user has been shared over 250 times. The image has also been shared with a message in Tamil. The Facebook post below has been shared over 2200 times since it was posted on December 6. The message in Tamil reads, நித்தியானந்தா நாட்டை விட்டு தப்பி ஓட முயலும் போது அமித்ஷா அவரை தடுத்து பிடித்த தருணம் 

Posted by Jacob Jack on Thursday, December 5, 2019

The same photograph has been shared on Twitter, with the same claim – Home Minister Amit Shah falling at the feet of Nithyananda.

FACT CHECK: FALSE CLAIM

Alt News found the person in the picture is not Amit Shah. Upon reverse-searching the image, we came across the same photograph on the website of Nithyananda, www.nithyananda.org in July 2017. The person in the picture is Mr. Jagdishwar Goburdhun, the High Commissioner of Mauritius to India. The photograph pertains to Guru Purnima celebrations on July 9, 2017, when a MoU was signed for the establishment of the Nithyananda Gurukul and Nithyananda University in Mauritius. Posted below is another image from the same event.

The two pictures i.e the viral image and the above image have been juxtaposed and posted below for comparison. It is evident that the person in the image is Mr. Goburdhun, the High Commissioner of Mauritius to India.

It may thus be noted that the person seen in the viral image, falling at the feet of Nithyananda, is not Home Minister Amit Shah. It is the High Commissioner of Mauritius to India. The photograph was clicked in July 2017.

 

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About the Author

Arjun Sidharth is a writer with Alt News. He has previously worked in the television news industry, where he managed news bulletins and breaking news scenarios, apart from scripting numerous prime time television stories. He has also been actively involved with various freelance projects. Sidharth has studied economics, political science, international relations and journalism. He has a keen interest in books, movies, music, sports, politics, foreign policy, history and economics. His hobbies include reading, watching movies and indoor gaming.