MNS Leader’s Funeral Passed Off as Ahmed Patel’s Last Rites
The video is from Thane, Maharashtra and shows the crowd attending the funeral procession of Jameel Shaikh.
A viral video showing a massive crowd at a funeral is being shared to claim that it is from the funeral procession of senior Congress leader Ahmed Patel who passed away on 25 November.
However, we found that the video is from Thane, Maharashtra and shows the crowd attending the funeral procession of Maharashtra Navnirman Sena leader Jameel Shaikh.
CLAIM
Social media users shared the video questioning the social distancing norms to be followed amid the coronavirus pandemic.
Several Twitter and Facebook users shared the video with the same narrative.
The Quint received a query on the claim made in the viral video on its WhatsApp tipline as well.
WHAT WE FOUND OUT
Multiple videos were shared on Twitter with the claim that it shows the funeral procession Ahmed Patel. We noticed a vehicle in one of the videos that had the number plate ‘MH 04.’
As per the official website of Department of Motor Vehicles, Maharashtra, this number plate corresponds to Thane area.
We then ran a keyword search on YouTube using the words “funeral Thane” and came across a video uploaded on 25 November that carried the same viral visuals. However, the caption along with the video mentioned that it was from the funeral procession of Maharashtra Navnirman Sena leader Jameel Shaikh.
Mumbai Mirror had reported on the incident and mentioned that a huge crowd had gathered to attend the funeral of the MNS leader who was shot dead by unidentified persons in Thane’s Rabodi area.
The report also carried visuals from the gathering.
VIRAL VISUALS ARE DIFFERENT FROM AHMED PATEL’S FUNERAL
Senior Congress leader Ahmed Patel was laid to rest at his native village Piraman in Gujarat's Bharuch district on Thursday, 26 November.
We came across a bulletin uploaded by Gujarati channel ABP Asmita that showed the visuals of the said funeral. On comparing the viral video with the same, we found that the two visuals are different.
Evidently, video of funeral procession of a MNS leader was used to falsely claim that it shows how huge amount of people crowded at Ahmed Patel’s funeral.
(Not convinced of a post or information you came across online and want it verified? Send us the details on WhatsApp at 9643651818, or e-mail it to us at webqoof@thequint.com and we'll fact-check it for you. You can also read all our fact-checked stories here.)
(At The Quint, we are answerable only to our audience. Play an active role in shaping our journalism by becoming a member. Because the truth is worth it.)