Fact Check: BJP IT Cell Head Lies Again, Shaheen Bagh Did Not Abandon Protest After AAP's Win

BJP's Information Technology Cell chief (IT Cell) Amit Malviya, has dedicatedly spewed fake news over and over again.

On Tuesday, even as the counting of votes continued, Malviya, tweeted an OpIndia story titled 'Shaheen Bagh protest site seen empty as AAP all set to return in Delhi'

This tweet has been further retweeted more than 3,000 times.

In their article, right-wing website OpIndia has said, "On Tuesday morning, incidentally, when the Delhi Assembly election results were to be announced, the protest site of Shaheen Bagh appeared empty with a scarce number of demonstrators at the site, says a report published in Amar Ujala."

The article also notes that "that Shaheen Bagh comes under Okhla constituency where controversial Aam Aadmi Party member Amanatullah Khan has registered a victory. "

Amar Ujala had earlier in the day published the same story with the title "शाहीन बाग में धरना स्थल पर पसरा सन्नाटा, खाली पड़ा है पंडाल" (Shaheen Bagh protest site now empty).

Swarajya, another right-wing magazine, also published an article on similar lines, titled, "Shaheen Bagh Protest Site Virtually Empty On Election Result Morning As AAP Notches Decisive Victory: Report"

The claim has also been shared widely on social media.

Claim:

Following AAP's victory in Delhi Assembly elections(2020), the protesters at Shaheen Bagh didn't show up.

Fact Check:

The claim is false

The photos were clicked before the protestors had assembled there.

The photos being circulated with the false claim are indeed from Shaheen Bagh, but it cannot be insinuated that the protestors had deserted the site due to the Aam Admi Party's mandate.

It is also noteworthy to mention here that yesterday, Shaheen Bagh held a silent protest 'against Police brutality and State oppression'.

The apparent Official Twitter Handle of Shaheen Bagh Tweeted about the misreporting by 'Amar Ujala'

Following the spread of this claim, several twitter accounts posted pictures and videos to refute the allegation.

In fact, the protestors in their silent protest put forward the message that they don't support any political party.

Photos tweeted by the news agency ANI, clearly shows their political neutrality.

Conclusion:

The timestamps of these tweets clearly show that the protests happened as it has been since December 15th 2019 for almost 55 days and has become a symbol of resistance against NRC, CAA and police brutality. On normal days, the protest at Shaheen Bagh starts around 12 pm as confirmed by one of The Logical Indian reporters, who visited the site of the protest. However, the picture taken by Amar Ujala was from an early morning scene when the protestors had not assembled.

Amit Malviya and several others had earlier tried to discredit the Shaheen Bagh movement using similar fake news.

The Supreme Court is slated to hear the matter of the protesters blocking the public roads and causing inconvenience to people on 17 February. The protesters, however, aren't defiant and say that the apex court's order will be acceptable to them.

Women protesting at Shaheen Bagh had earlier sent a defamation notice to Amit Malviya on January 21 for his allegation that the women were paid to protest. The office of advocate Mehmood Pracha had sent the legal notice charging Rs 1 crore for damages and also demanded an apology from Malviya.

The protesters' resolve, however, remains firm.

Therefore it can be confirmed that the protest has not been called off following AAP's victory in the Delhi assembly elections.

If you have any news that you believe needs to be fact-checked, please email us at factcheck@thelogicalindian.com or WhatsApp at 6364000343

Also Read: Protesting Women At Shaheen Bagh Send ₹1 Cr Defamation Notice To BJP IT Cell Chief Amit Malviya