No, a saffron flag was not hoisted on a mosque during Ram Navami celebrations in Ganganagar

By: Anurag Baruah
April 4 2023

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Context

The Hindu festival of Ram Navami was celebrated on March 30, coinciding with the ongoing holy month of Ramadan, observed by the Muslim community. Several states of India, such as West Bengal, Bihar, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, and Uttar Pradesh, witnessed instances of communal violence before and after processions were taken out as part of the celebration by Hindu groups. These clashes have left at least two people dead and multiple injured. Prohibitory orders have also been imposed in several of these areas to control the situation and several arrests have been made throughout the country. 

Meanwhile, various communally charged claims and counter-claims with photos and videos are circulating on social media. One such video has gone viral on Twitter with the claim that it shows a saffron flag hoisted on the top of a mosque in Ganganagar (also known as Sriganganagar officially), Rajasthan, during the Ram Navami celebrations. A voice in the video can be heard shouting that a "saffron flag" has been hoisted on the top of the Beenjhbayala (a village in Ganganagar) mosque. 

In Fact

We noted that the building seen in the video did not bear the structural elements associated with most mosques in northern and western India. For example, a typical mosque in the region would have a dome and some minarets, while the structure in the video appeared to be a regular structure with no such features. We could not spot any board or signages on the building or in the area associated with a mosque. Further, we found no news reports about such an incident taking place in Ganganagar.

Logically contacted Anil Paris Deshmukh, superintendent of police, Sriganganagar, who clarified that the flag in the video was hoisted on top of a house and not a mosque. "The flag was hoisted at someone’s house, and it was falsely claimed that they had hoisted it on top of a masjid (mosque)," the SP said. Another official from Sriganganagar Police told Logically that the incident was reported from a location that falls under the jurisdiction of Ghamurwali Police Station.

The official Twitter account of the Ganganagar Police also clarified that the person seen in the video was actually hoisting the flag on the house and not on top of a mosque, as claimed. The police further stated in the Twitter post that two people had been arrested for spreading false claims in connection with the incident. The tweet, dated March 31, 2023, also included a photo of the two accused.

The Verdict

The claim that a saffron flag was hoisted on top of a mosque during Ram Navami celebrations at Ganganagar in Rajasthan is false as the flag was actually hoisted on top of a house. Senior police officials confirmed to Logically that no saffron flag was hoisted on a mosque. Therefore, we mark the claim false.