India TV Fact Check: A paper cutting circulating on social media claims that the real name of West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee is ‘Mumtaz Masama Khatoon’. However, our investigation has revealed that this claim is false.
What was the claim?
The claim made by a user named Rajesh Bhardwaj on social media, accompanied by a paper cutting, suggests that the real name of Mamata Banerjee is 'Mumtaz Masama Khatoon'. The paper cutting captioned with the heading 'Hardly anyone knows the real name of Mamata Banerjee', was shared by Bhardwaj on Facebook. This edit in the paper prompted India TV's Fact Check team to investigate the authenticity of the claim.
India TV Fact Check
India TV's Fact Check team conducted thorough research to validate the claim. Despite several searches on Google, no credible evidence was found to support the assertion that Mamata Banerjee's real name is 'Mumtaz Masama Khatoon'. The investigation led us to unearth the contradictory information instead. Mamata herself declared her Brahmin identity during a rally in Goa, a fact reported by numerous reputable news outlets, including Hindustan Times, in a report dated December 14, 2021. In this report, the Chief Minister responded to the Bharatiya Janata Party's (BJP) criticism, stating, “I am a Brahmin and there is no need for me to take a character certificate from BJP.”
Further delving into the investigation, India TV's Fact Check team accessed Mamata’s election affidavit on the Election Commission website. In the affidavit, her name is listed as “Mamata Banerjee”, and her father’s name is recorded as Promileshwar Banerjee. It's important to note that Mamata Banerjee, serving as an MLA from the Bhawanipur Assembly seat of West Bengal, filed her nomination papers (Form 2B) from this seat during the 2021 assembly elections.
Finding of the Fact Check
Conclusively, India TV's fact-checking has debunked the viral claim suggesting that Mamata Banerjee's real name is "Mumtaz Masama Khatoon". The investigation, backed by various sources including Mamata Banerjee's own statements and her official election affidavit, reveals this assertion to be baseless and fabricated.
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