Fact Check: Pakistan flag displayed at Shiv Sena (UBT) candidate rally? What is the real story behind the viral post? Achi-News

Fact Check: Judgment is wrong

The flag in question is not the national flag of Pakistan but an ordinary Islamic flag.

(Part of Shakti Collective Logical facts fact-check story published by the team)

Claim ID 19cc1f1e

What is the statement?

A video of a green flag with a white crescent moon and star attached to a crane is being shared on various social media platforms such as X (formerly Twitter) and Facebook. Posts sharing the video claim that the national flag of Pakistan was hoisted during a recent roadshow by politician Anil Desai in Mumbai in the midst of India’s general elections. Desai is a Lok Sabha candidate from the Shiv Sena (UBT) party.

In the nearly two-minute long video, Shiv Sena (UBT) leaders can be seen bursting firecrackers as various supporters of the party pass by in a vehicle. The symbols and flags of Shiv Sena (UBT) and its Congress allies, the National Congress Party (NCP) and their Maha Vikas Aghadi alliance (MVA) are also seen in the video.

One user posted this video, “This is Uddhav Thackeray candidate Anil Desai campaigning with Pakistan flag in Chembur to appease minority voters #ModiMagicInMumbai (sic).” An archived version of this post and other posts shared with a similar statement Here
, Here
, Here And Here can be seen

Desai, the candidate of the Uddhav Thackeray-led party, will fight his first political contest against sitting Member of Parliament (MP) Rahul Shewale of Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena for the Mumbai South Central constituency. Voting in 13 Lok Sabha constituencies in Maharashtra in the fifth phase of the elections ended on May 20.

Videos of Pakistan’s national flag being hoisted at his rally have gained a lot of attention on social media. However, we were informed that the flag found in Desai’s road show was not a Pakistani flag but an Islamic flag.

Also Read: Fact Check: Will Rahul Gandhi Take Chinese Constitution Into His Programme? This is the truth

What are the facts?

We could see Desai in a frame in the viral video, which shows him filming a road show. We then checked Desai’s official Facebook account and he posted a picture of his May 15 rally in Chembur. Photos (
Here archive) a the video (
Here Archived) posting found.

We later established that the viral video was shot in Chembur, Mumbai. Taking a cue from the flyover and building visible in the viral video, we were able to geolocate the location to Lokhande Marg Chembur. We were able to identify the same shops seen in the viral clip as seen in recent Google Street View images.

Looking at the green flag seen in the viral clip, it can be noticed that it is not the national flag of Pakistan. real Pakistani The flag is green with a thick white vertical band on the side of the flagpole. Diagonal white crescent and five-pointed star centered on a green field.

However, the flag seen in the viral video has a slightly straightened and slightly different shaped crescent moon and star. Five small stars are distributed in the center of the viral flag, which is not present in the real Pakistani flag. Additionally, this flag does not have a white stripe on the left side.

The flag seen in the viral clip is actually the Islamic flag, which is flown by many mosques, Muslim houses and Islamic institutions around the world, sometimes with some modifications. An image of the Islamic flag from stock photo website Alamy shows similar features to the flag seen in the video, except for the five small stars. Islamic flags are a more common representation of Islamic beliefs and can vary in design with a green color and a focus on Islamic symbols, as seen in the viral video. Flag similar to the flag in the clip E-commerce Also available across platforms.

We have not found any credible reports of Desai seeing the Pakistan flag at his rally in Chembur.

The flag in question is one of the Indian Union Muslim League (IUML). Outlets (
Here Archive), but that doesn’t match their official banner. Flown at rallies, the IUML flag usually shows a crescent moon facing the flagpole. However, the flag in the viral clip shows the moon facing away from the pole.

Logical Facts has previously denied similar claims of misidentifying Islamic flags with the Pakistani national flag at rallies. You can read the fact check here and here.

Judgment:

A viral video circulating on social media shows Shiv Sena (UBT) Lok Sabha candidate Anil Desai falsely raising the Pakistan flag at an election rally. The flag in the video is a common Islamic flag used in various religious gatherings. Therefore, we have flagged this statement as false.

Read this fact check in English
here.

Reference links

(Part of Shakti Collective Logical facts fact-check story published by the team)

Read the latest news first at News 18 Kannada. Get daily fresh news, live news update on Believer News 18 in Kannada