A video showing a man putting garlands around Syed Ahmed Bukhari, the Shahi Imam of Delhi's Jama Masjid, is going viral on the internet. In the clip, Bukhari can be seen standing next to former Union Health Minister and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Harsh Vardhan.
What's the claim?: The video, which shows a BJP poster in the background, is being shared to claim that Imam Bukhari has joined the party.
An archive can be seen here.
(Source: Twitter/Screenshot)
(Archives of similar claims can be seen here and here. We also received this query on our WhatsApp tipline.)
So, did he join the BJP?: Well, the video is from 11 March and shows Imam Bukhari at an event organised to lay the foundation stone for a toilet outside one of the gates of Delhi's Jama Masjid.
What Bukhari's Assistant PRO told us?: "Imam Bukhari is not joining the BJP. The viral video shows him at the foundation ceremony of the toilets that are being built near Jama Masjid," Mohd Ansarul Haque said.
How did we find out the truth?: We checked Harsh Vardhan's Twitter account for visuals of the event.
This led us to several videos uploaded on Twitter on 11 March 2023. They were from the same event as seen in the viral video.
He shared a picture in one of his tweets and said that he visited Delhi's Jama Masjid to lay a foundation stone for a toilet that is being built under the Swachh Bharat Mission.
An archive can be seen here.
(Source: Twitter/Screenshot)
He also tweeted a video of Imam Bukhari which was similar to the viral video.
In the video, Imam Bukhari says that people from all around the world visit the Jama Masjid. He adds that there were some necessary things missing around the mosque and Harsh Vardhan helped him build it.
We compared the viral video with the visuals shared by Dr Vardhan on his Twitter account.
(Note: Swipe to see more comparisons.)
Two videos were shot at the same place in Delhi.
(Source: Altered by The Quint)
Conclusion: The video shows Syed Ahmed Bukhari, the Shahi Imam of Delhi's Jama Masjid, at an event to lay a foundation stones for a new toilet near the mosque. He has not joined the BJP.
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