A set of two images is going viral on social media with a claim that former Indian wrestler Babita Phogat who had spoken against the people of Shaheen Bagh who were protesting against the Citizenship (Amendment) Act and National Register of Citizens (NRC), is now part of the protesting with Wrestlers at Jantar Mantar.
One of the images shows two Indian wrestlers – Vinesh Phogat and Sakshi Malik – in tears and another shows a screenshot of a tweet made by Babita Phogat in 2020.
In the tweet, Babita Phogat appeals to people to vote for the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in Delhi while taking a dig at the protestors of Shaheen Bagh.
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(Source: Facebook/Screenshot)
What is the truth?: We found out that this tweet was made by Babita Phogat in January 2020.
However, she has not supported the ongoing wrestler's protest in Delhi against sidelined Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) chief and BJP MP Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh.
India's top wrestlers, including Vinesh Phogat, Malik and Bajrang Punia, have resumed their protests demanding criminal action against Singh over alleged sexual harassment and intimidation.
How did we find out the truth?: We checked Babita Phogat's Twitter account and found out that she had indeed tweeted against people at Shaheen Bagh for protesting against CAA and NRC.
Her tweet was made on 31 January 2020 and said that the people of Delhi should vote for the lotus symbol (BJP) and their victory will scare away the people at Shaheen Bagh.
However, we did not find any tweet which showed her support to the ongoing wrestlers' protests.
Babita Phogat on wrestler's protests: We came across her tweet from 29 April, where she points out that Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra reached the protest site with her personal secretary Sandeep Singh who has allegedly been accused of molesting and harassing women.
Babita's another tweet also said that the wrestlers should stay away from politicians.
However, according to Hindustan Times' report, Vinesh reacted to Babita's remarks and said, "If you are not standing for the rights of aggrieved female wrestlers, Babita sister, I request you with folded hands not to weaken our movement. It has taken years for female wrestlers to speak up against their abusers. You are also a woman, try to understand our pain.”
The viral image does not show Babita Phogat: The viral image shows Vinesh Phogat and Sakshi Malik.
We found the same image in a report by Outlook India and the caption said, "Vinesh Phogat, left, and Sakshi Malik pictured at the protest in Jantar Mantar, New Delhi."
The report mentioned that the protesting wrestlers planned to approach the top court of the country with this matter.
The article was shared on 24 April 2023.
(Photo: Altered by The Quint)
Following this, the Delhi Police Friday registered two FIRs against Singh on 29 April.
One FIR is under the stringent POCSO Act and another is related to outraging the modesty of a woman.
Conclusion: The viral claim about Babita Phogat speaking against the protestors at Shaheen Bagh while protesting with wrestlers in Jantar Mantar is misleading.
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