Fact Check: Viral video does not show Chhattisgarh’s SDM but a minister in Jagan’s Cabinet
Voting for seven MP seats in Chhattisgarh is scheduled on May 7, 2024. The Lok Sabha seats of Raipur, Bilaspur, Durg, Korba, Raigarh, Janjgir Champa, and Surguja in Chhattisgarh would go for polls wherein a total of 168 candidates are competing.
Chattisgarh SDM
Voting for seven MP seats in Chhattisgarh is scheduled on May 7, 2024. The Lok Sabha seats of Raipur, Bilaspur, Durg, Korba, Raigarh, Janjgir Champa, and Surguja in Chhattisgarh would go for polls wherein a total of 168 candidates are competing. The state election commission has made all arrangements for the third phase of voting in the general elections.
A video showing a woman leader visiting a mosque and addressing the people present is shared on social media virally, with the claim that she is SDM Nikita SIngh from Chattisgarh who not only gave land to build a masjid but also visited the masjid during the namaz time.
The claim in Hindi goes: “इस नफ़रत भरे माहौल में एक मो
When translated, it claims that “A message of love in this hate-filled environment: Chhattisgarh's dear SDM Nikita Singh gave land for a mosque and also offered namaz at that place. The beauty of our country is right here. Thank you SDM Nikita ji “
Fact check:
The claim is False. The video does not show Sub Divisional Magistrate Nikita Singh from Chhattisgarh.
When we performed a Google reverse image search on the keyframes extracted from the video, we found that the woman seen in the video is YSRC party leader Vidadala Rajini, who is also a minister in the present Cabinet of Jaganmohan Reddy in Andhra Pradesh. Rajini is an Indian politician belonging to the YSRC party and also the minister for health, family welfare and medical education, Andhra Pradesh.
We found that the same video was shared by a YouTube channel named 4th TV News on April 9, 2024, with the title “ముస్లిం, మైనారిటీ లకు అండగా ఉన్నాం..ఉంటాం | Minister Vidadala Rajini Attends Iftar Party “. We can see the viral visuals from the 54-second mark.
Minister Vidadala Rajini shared the viral video herself on her Facebook account and also on her Instagram account on April 6, 2024, with the title “ముస్లిం,మైనారిటీ లకు అండగా ఉన్నాం..ఉంటాం. #
When we searched for Nikita Singh, Chhattisgarh SDM, we did not find any news report about anyone with that name in Chhattisgarh. We found a few profiles of Nikita Singh who are not government officials and not related to Chhattisgarh. The Chhattisgarh government website also did not mention any SDM called Nikita Singh.
Therefore, the video does not show Chattisgarh SDM visiting a mosque during the namaz prayers. The woman seen in the video is Vidadala Rajini, a YSRC MLA and also a minister in Andhra Pradesh. The claim is False.