India TV Fact Check: Voting for 200 assembly seats in Rajasthan took place on November 25. However, misleading information is still circulating on social media. One such video came to our notice claiming to be from a Congress rally in Rajasthan where Pakistani flags were waved. When India TV fact-checked it, it was found that the claim was completely false, and the flag seen in the rally was not the flag of Pakistan but an Islamic flag. Moreover, the viral video is several years old.
What is going viral?
The social media user LC Bhandari shared a video on the Facebook page 'Dr. Sambit Patra Fans Club' on November 25, 2023. The caption reads, "A rally for the Congress is happening in Rajasthan, but the flag of Pakistan is being waved. Traitors should be punished."
The 48-second video features the person recording stating,
"This is a Congress rally, and observe the waving flag of Pakistan. Take a close look, and you'll notice the Pakistan flag waving at this rally. It's your own mistake. Pay attention... I feel embarrassed, standing here and saying this to my Hindu brothers at this rally... Shame on you, shame... You voted for them, didn't you?"
India TV did fact check
Upon careful examination of the video, none of the green flags visible in it appeared to be the flag of Pakistan. We proceeded to compare the flags in the video with the actual flag of Pakistan. When we found out the difference between the two flags, it became evident that the national flag of Pakistan features a dark green colour with a white stripe on its left side, and the moon and stars are depicted in the green part.
However, all the flags seen in the video are completely green and have a white stripe on both sides. Additionally, there is a visible script in Urdu or Arabic on these flags. Furthermore, alongside the writing on the flag in the video, an image of a holy mosque, significant in the Islamic religion, is also present. You can clearly see the difference in the two pictures given above.
Original video 5-years-old
Now, it has become clear that the flags shown in the viral video are not from Pakistan. Subsequently, we began investigating whether this video is from Rajasthan and its date of origin. Through a Google search using relevant keywords, we discovered a tweet from Rajasthan Police dated December 12, 2018. Therefore, the video is five years old. In the tweet, Rajasthan Police had shared the same video and refuted the claim that the flags in the video were of Pakistan.
In the caption of its tweet, Rajasthan Police stated, "Warning! This video is being circulated on social media claiming that the Pakistan flag is being waved in the victory procession of Congress. This is a lie, and we request people not to fall into its trap. We are trying to trace the mischievous element."
What was found in the investigation
India TV's fact-check revealed that the flags seen in the viral video are not Pakistani flags but rather some other Islamic flags. Additionally, the video is five years old, a fact that was also denied by Rajasthan Police.
