By Archit

A few clips of varying duration showing the demolition of a mosque are being shared on social media. The claim is that the said mosque is from Prayagraj’s Saidabad and it was demolished because Pakistani flags were hoisted on it

https://twitter.com/YadavMu91727055/status/1613626366334849024?t=0YNrojJ-aK4rOpPPdMo4Rg&s=19

The same claim was also made without the accompanying video. One such post was by a fan page of BJP spokesperson Sambit Patra on Facebook titled ‘Sambit Patra BJP‘.

Several Facebook users posted the video as well. Among them is a page titled ‘Kaithal Prime tv‘, which has over 60,000 followers.

Alt News has received multiple verification requests for the video on its WhatsApp helpline (76000 11160) as well as its app.

Fact Check

In the video, we can spot a flag on each of the domes of the mosque. The flag in the middle appears to be green in colour and it bears the symbols of a crescent moon and a star. It is difficult to be sure because of the poor quality of the video.

We began our research by performing a keyword search on Google in order to find more context.

As per one of the media outlets, the mosque in question is Shahi Masjid at Prayagraj’s Handia. This report claimed that the mosque was constructed between the 15th and 16th centuries during the reign of Sher Shah Suri, the founder of the Sur Empire. The location of the mosque can be seen here on Google Maps.

According to a Dainik Bhaskar report, the public works department (Saidabad Bazar under Handia tehsil) led the demolition for the widening of the adjacent road. The notice of demolition was challenged in the High Court due to the mosque’s historical significance. The high court had transferred the case to a civil court. As per the report, the mosque was demolished on the day of the hearing in the lower court.

Read Full Story https://www.altnews.in/no-prayagraj-mosque-pulled-down-recently-did-not-have-pak-flags-on-it/