New Delhi: Members of the BJP and other supporters of the party have been sharing and tweeting a viral video, allegedly of the desecration of a Hindu temple in Pakistan. It was first shared by Amardip Potfode, who according to his Twitter bio, is the state secretary of the BJP SC Morcha and is based out of Maharashtra.
The video from Pakistan in reality, is nearly three years old and was originally reported about in 2020. The temple is located in the Karak district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, a region in Northwest Pakistan.
“See how a hundred-year old Shiva temple was demolished in Pakistan. And here the Ram Janmabhoomi temple built after the decision of the Supreme Court is knocking not only the “green insects” [in reference to Muslims] but also some so-called secular Hindus,” gloated Potfode in the caption.
The video has been viewed 241000 times and been liked nearly 12,000, with over 5000 retweets.
The identical video and caption have been further shared by other Twitter accounts associated with the BJP. The video shows billows of smoke as an angry mob charges at what is supposedly a temple.
Two journalists working with Sudarshan TV News, a Hindi TV news channel also shared the video, using the same caption as Potfode.
Fact check
In reality, while the video is originally from Pakistan, it is nearly three years old and was earlier reported about in 2020. At the time, it had been covered by many news outlets, including the Times of India.
It was not a shiva temple, but was where Shri Paramhans Swami Advaitanand Ji Maharaj died in 1919 and was built to honour ‘samadhi’ spot. His followers, mostly from Southern Sindh, used to come to Karak and pay their respects to the late ‘godman.’
The temple had a history of violence, and was earlier ‘dismantled’ in 1997. However, it was restored after the Supreme Court ordered its reconstruction.
Pakistan is home to approximately 8 million Hindus.
(In collaboration with SM Hoaxslayer)