CLAIM अभिनंदन की पत्नी का संदेश कि सैनिकों के बलिदान पर बीजेपी न करे राजनीति। #Abhinanadan https://t.co/1bA0628I9L — Yuva Desh (@yuvadesh) 1551352157000 TRUTH VERIFICATION AND METHODOLOGY COMPARISON Just when you think Rahul Gandhi’s Congress can’t stoop lower, they breach their own record. Faking a video by the… https://t.co/AsS71MPvAc — BJP (@BJP4India) 1551423242000 VERDICT Update: A video showing a woman, who introduces herself as an Indian Army officer's wife, requesting fellow Indians and politicians not to politicise the sacrifice of soldiers, is going viral with a claim that she is Wing Commander Abhinandan 's wife. The video is being shared widely on social media platforms and WhatsApp with the claim. The video has gone viral at a time when the nation is rejoicing the news that Abhinandan is returning to India today.In the video , the woman is saying: "Hello everyone. I am wife of an army officer. On behalf of all the families of all the armed forces, I request my fellow Indians, especially the political leaders, the political leaders... not to politicise the sacrifice of our soldiers. It takes so much to be a soldier. And just imagine the kind of tension, the kind of pain, the family of Abhinandan is going through right now. So please, till the time the tension is eased at Indo-Pak border, stop your political rallies and don’t you dare, I am repeating again, don’t you dare to snatch away the credit of our soldiers. Please, please stop counting your tickets and stop doing your politics here. You have enough times to play your politics but not at this time and not at the cost of our soldiers' sacrifice. It is my humble request to all political leaders, especially the BJP political leaders.”Dinesh Singta, who "works at" the National Students' Union of India (NSUI), the student wing of of the Congress Party, as per his Facebook bio, shared the video yesterday with a caption that closely translates to, "Wing Commander Abhinandan ji's wife's message that the BJP shouldn't politicise soldiers' sacrifice." You can find an archived version of the post here The video he posted has gotten more than 2,39,000 views and was shared over 14,000 times since yesterday.The verified Twitter account of Yuva Desh, Indian Youth Congress ' online magazine, tweeted the same video, but this one with a yellow bar with text saying, "Humble request to BJP don't count your seats at the cost of soldiers sacrifice (sic)." You can find an archived version the tweet here The same video is being shared on WhatsApp as well, but without the claim that the woman is WC Abhinandan's wife.The woman seen in the video is not WC Abhinandan's wife.A simple search on Google using keywords " Abhinandan Varthaman wife" led us to an article published on Samayam Telugu website that carried the story of Abhinandan's wife -- Tanvi Marwaha -- a former Squadron Leader, and had her photo in the report.On searching Google with keywords "Tanvi Marwaha", we found a news report on TOI that said Abhinandan's wife, Squadron Leader Tani Marwaha, retired as a helicopter pilot.We compared the images of Marwaha and the woman in the viral video and found that they are two different people, clearly.The verified Twitter account of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), tweeted saying,"Just when you think Rahul Gandhi ’s Congress can’t stoop lower, they breach their own record. Faking a video by the name of braveheart Abhinandan’s wife for political propaganda is beyond even shameful. "Times Fact Check found that the claim that the woman seen requesting people and politicians not to politicise soldiers' sacrifice in a video that has gone viral is NOT Wing Commander Abhinandan's wife.The woman seen in the video is Sirisha Rao. From her Twitter account, it is clear that Rao volunteers for the Aam Aadmi Party. A report published in Boom said that Rao's husband was a Colonel in the Army and that she "did not wish to divulge further details." We couldn't independently verify if Rao's husband served in the Army.<doc-sep>The woman in the video who was claimed to be Abhinandan Varthaman's wife top stories direct to your inbox SUBSCRIBE Invalid email Sign up to receive our rundown of the day'sdirect to your inbox When you subscribe we will use the information you provide to send you these newsletters. Sometimes they'll include recommendations for other related newsletters or services we offer. Our Privacy Notice explains more about how we use your data, and your rights. You can unsubscribe at any time. In the video, the woman requests fellow Indians and politicians not to politicise the sacrifice of soldiers. The video has been shared widely across multiple social media channels gaining over 239,000 views and 14,000 shares. The Indian Youth Congress’ online magazine, Yuva Desh, tweeted the one-minute video purporting that the message was from Mr Varthaman’s wife. The video was also retweeted by Punjab cabinet minister Navjot Singh Sidhu and other members of the government. The woman has since been identified as Sirisha Rao who is the wife of an army officer but not of Mr Varthaman. She said on Twitter after the video went viral: “I am the wife of an Army officer. "A responsible citizen of India. I shared my feelings as our sentiments were hurt by some politicians.” Mr Varthaman was captured by Pakistani forces as tensions between Pakistan and India escalated this week. READ MORE: World War 3: India and Pakistan 'on brink' of nuclear WAR Mr Varthaman was captured by Pakistani forces as tensions between Pakistan and India escalated The two countries both said they shot down each other’s fighter jets on Wednesday after Indian planes struck inside Pakistan on Tuesday for the first time since 1971. Tensions were sparked after 40 Indian paramilitary police died in a suicide car bombing allegedly perpetrated by Pakistan-based militants in Kashmir. Today residents gathered near the India-Pakistan Wagah border crossing to watch the release of the IAF pilot in a gesture of peace. The pilot appeared to have bruised eyes and as he stood at the border upon his release. Indian citizens waiting for the return of IAF Wing Commander Abhinandan Varthaman The Pakistan government’s official Twitter account released a video of a man they claimed to be Mr Varthaman. In the video, the man’s face was bloodied and bruised as he gave his name and service number. India’s foreign ministry said the pilot’s treatment was a “vulgar display of injured personnel of the Indian Air Force in violation of all norms of international humanitarian law and the Geneva Convention.” Pakistan’s Prime Minister Imran Khan claimed the release was part of a “peace gesture”. READ MORE: Fears of ALL OUT WAR as India accuses Pakistan of ‘aggression’ Indian students prayed for the speedy release of Indian Air Force pilot Abhinandan Varthaman<doc-sep>The entire country celebrated as IAF Pilot returned home on Friday. He crossed the Wagah-Attari border at 9:15 pm and he was handed over to Indian officials. At that time, there was a lot of curiosity among the people about the lady who stood along Abhinandan. Some were thinking that she was the wife of Wing Commander Abhinandan and some were thinking that she was a member of the family. Let us tell you, who she was. The lady standing beside Wing Commander Abhinandan was Dr Fariha Bugati, Director-India in Pakistan's Foreign Office. Dr Bugti is an FSP (equivalent to India's IFS) officer and is in charge of handling India affairs at their Foreign office (counterpart of India's Ministry of External Affairs). Fariha is also one of the main Pak officials handling the case of Kulbhushan Jadhav, who is in Pakistan prison. She was also present during the meeting between Jadhav, his mother and wife in Islamabad last year.<doc-sep>
As the nation welcomes Indian Air Force (IAF) pilot Abhinandan Varthaman who was captured by Pakistan on Wednesday, a video of a woman requesting the BJP not to politicise the sacrifice of martyrs has been doing the rounds on social media. It is being claimed that the woman in the viral video is Abhinandan's wife. India Today Anti Fake News War Room (AFWA) has found that the woman in the video is not the wife of IAF pilot Abhinandan. Indian Youth Congress’ online magazine 'Yuva Desh' has tweeted this one minute-eight seconds video with the claim in Hindi which says, "Wing Commander Abhinandan ji ki patni ka sandesh ki sainiko ke balidaan par BJP na kare rajniti (The message from Wing Commander Abhinandan ji's wife states that the BJP should not politicise the sacrifice of soldiers.)" The archived version of the tweet can be seen here Facebook user Dinesh Singta, who claims to be a National Students Union of India (NSUI) member, also posted the same video which has been shared more than 14,000 times at the last count. The post is being shared from other Facebook accounts as well. Punjab Cabinet minister Navjot Singh Sidhu also retweeted this tweet. Image- Twitter Besides Sidhu, SP MLA Rajesh Yadav and Congress Seva Dal member Harvinder Singh tweeted the video with the same claim. We first listened to the video carefully. The video starts with the woman saying: I am the wife of an army officer. At the 21st second of the video, she can be heard saying: Just imagine the kind of tension, the kind of pain the family of Abhinandan is going through right now. It is to be noted that the woman is making a reference to Abhinandan’s family, clearly indicating that she is not a member of his family. News portal inkhabar.com has also published the photographs of Abhinandan with his wife. Comparing the photo of Abhinandan’s wife and the woman in the viral video, it is clear that both are different people. The verified Twitter account of Bharatiya Janata Party has expressed the disappointment on the post by tweeting: Just when you think Rahul Gandhi’s Congress can’t stoop lower, they breach their own record. Faking a video by the name of braveheart Abhinandan’s wife for political propaganda is beyond even shameful. Update: Sirisha Rao tweeted to Aaj Tak saying that she is not the wife of Abhinandan Varthaman but she is a wife of an army officer and a responsible citizen of the country. Her tweet has been given below. No. @aajtak I am wife of a Army officer..a responsible citizen of India. I shared my feelings as our sentiments were hurt by some politicians. Thanx https://t.co/AZnj1pcYfn Sirisha Rao (@SirishaRao12) March 1, 2019 INDIA TODAY FACT CHECK Claim IAF pilot Abhinandan Varthaman's wife requests the BJP not to politicise the sacrifice of soldiers. Conclusion The woman in the viral video is not the wife of Wing Commander Abhinandan. JHOOTH BOLE KAUVA KAATE The number of crows determines the intensity of the lie. 1 Crow: Half True 2 Crows: Mostly lies 3 Crows: Absolutely false