An image is viral on social media which shows Chhatrapati Shahu Shahaji, the Congress MP from Kolhapur, Maharashtra, holding his ears in the manner in which someone gestures while apologising for something. The photo is being shared with the claim that Shahu, who happens to be a descendant of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, asked for forgiveness from the minority community of Vishalgad for the anti-encroachment drives carried out in the area.
The newly elected MP visited Vishalgad on July 16, two days after a rally in favour of an anti-encroachment drive in the Vishalgad Fort area had taken a communal turn and resulted in a riot-like situation. A mob attacked Gajapur, a predominantly Muslim village three kilometres from the Vishalgad fort.
Rishi Bagree (@rishibagree), who has a long history of peddling misinformation and lies on social media, tweeted this picture with the claim mentioned above. “Descendants keep shaming legacies in Maharashtra.” he quipped, referring to the Congress MP. (Archive)
Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj descendant👉 Shahu Chhatrapati, Congress MP from Kolhapur holding his ears, seeking an apology from the local minority community for the anti-encroachments drive on historic Vishalghad.
Descendants keep shaming legacies in Maharashtra pic.twitter.com/CeNjJKuLYy
— Rishi Bagree (@rishibagree) July 18, 2024
Right-wing influencer Raushan Sinha (@MrSinha_) also posted the viral picture showing Shahu Chhatrapati touching his ears. He captioned it saying that the Congress MP’s act was an ‘insult’ to the legacy of Shivaji Maharaj. At the time of this article being written, the tweet has been deleted. (Archive)
Another X-verified account, with the user name Smita Deshmukh (@smitadeshmukh), shared the viral claim, alleging that the Congress MP had ‘shamed’ Maharashtra as well as the legacy of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj by resorting to minority appeasement. (Archive)
The descendants of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj have been contesting polls for decades. But here Shahu Chhatrapati, Congress MP from Kolhapur is holding his ears while seeking apology from the local minority community even as the encroachments on historic Vishalghad were brought… pic.twitter.com/yIbXp233R1
— Smita Deshmukh🇮🇳 (@smitadeshmukh) July 18, 2024
Several other users on X made the same claim.
Click to view slideshow.Fact Check
We ran a reverse image search on the picture which went viral. This led us to a tweet by verified user @Anand_Dasa88, who said that the women seen in the video were complaining to the Congress MP that someone had stolen their earrings, following which Shahu Chhatrapati reacted by touching his own ears.
काँग्रेस खासदार छत्रपती शाहू महाराज आणि सतेज पाटील यांनी विशालगड ला जाऊन समाजकंटकांचा डाव उधळून लावला म्हणून छत्रपतींची या ना त्या कारणाने बदनामी करने चालू आहे.
छत्रपतींनी कान पकडून माफी मागितली असं भाजप IT सेल वाले पसरवत आहेत. पण ती महिला तिच्या कानातले दागिने कोणीतरी ओढून नेले… pic.twitter.com/hjZPTNtMDW
— Adv Anand Dasa (@Anand_Dasa88) July 18, 2024
To confirm this, we ran a relevant keyword search on YouTube and came across this video, uploaded by India Today group’s Marathi news channel, Mumbai Tak. The viral segment, showing Shahu Chhatrapati reacting to the woman’s complaint by touching his ears, can be viewed around the 1:38-minute mark.
Upon listening closely, Alt News ascertained that the woman was narrating to the Congress MP how those who came in the rally had entered another woman’s house and snatched her earrings from her ears. She says “Iske ghar me ghus kar iske kaan me se iska nikal liye…”. (“They entered her house, and then snatched away (her earrings) from her ears.) After this, Shahu Chhatrapati can be seen touching his own ears and communicating it to someone next to him.
The description of the video says it was shot in the Gajapur village. This is the place where locals had been attacked by a mob leading to arson and stone-pelting on July 14, as mentioned earlier.
To conclude, a false claim is being circulated on social media alleging that the Congress MP from Kolhapur, Shahu Chhatrapati, apologized to the minorities in Vishalgad area by touching his ears for an anti-encroachment drive. The whole apology story is a figment of imagination. The MP touched his ears when a woman complained to him how during the violence two days earlier, some people snatched the earrings worn by a woman.
Prantik Ali is an intern at Alt News.
The post Cong MP Shahu Chhatrapati did not apologize to minorities at Vishalgad; video falsely shared by RW handles appeared first on Alt News.
This content originally appeared on Alt News and was authored by Prantik Ali.
Prantik Ali | Radio Free (2024-07-18T14:24:58+00:00) Cong MP Shahu Chhatrapati did not apologize to minorities at Vishalgad; video falsely shared by RW handles. Retrieved from https://www.radiofree.org/2024/07/18/cong-mp-shahu-chhatrapati-did-not-apologize-to-minorities-at-vishalgad-video-falsely-shared-by-rw-handles/
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