A video claiming to show Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray) leader Sanjay Raut saying that the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government will give a clean chit to fugitive gangster Dawood Ibrahim if it came to power in Maharashtra, is altered and fake.
BOOM found that the video has been altered and in the original video, Raut was hinting out at the BJP government over the issue of Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) chief Madhabi Puri Buch, claiming that they would even give Dawood a clean chit.
The Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) alliance consists of the Congress, Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray), and Nationalist Congress Party (Sharadchandra Pawar). Assembly elections in Maharashtra are scheduled for November 20, 2024, with results set to be announced on November 23.
In the viral video, Raut can be heard taking in Hindi saying, "Our government will one day give Dawood Ibrahim also a clean chit".
The video was posted by the Instagram handle '@bjpiscoming' with a Marathi caption that translates to, "Uddhav Thackeray's new promise to Muslims. Thackeray will fulfill Pawar Saheb's dream and give a clean chit to Dawood after coming to power."
(In Marathi -उद्धव ठाकरेंचा मुस्लिमांना नवा 'वादा'. पवार साहेबांचं स्वप्न ठाकरे पूर्ण करणार सत्तेत आल्यावर दाऊदला क्लीन चिट देणार)
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FACT-CHECK
BOOM found that audio in the viral video has been altered to make the false claim that Sanjay Raut said the Maha Vikas Aghadi government will give a clean chit to Dawood Ibrahim, if voted back to power in Maharashtra.
We ran a keyword search in English and Marathi with the keywords, "Sanjay Raut, Dawood Ibrahim, clean chit", and found that the viral video has been taken from a press conference of Raut from October 23, 2024.
What did Sanjay Raut actually say in the press conference?
In the original video, Raut was actually hitting out at the BJP government (at the centre) saying that 'this' will one day give a clean chit to Dawood Ibrahim. The audio section where Raut says "this' has been edited out, and the word 'ours' has been inserted into the viral video to make the false claim.
At the 12.47 minutes timestamp, a reporter can be heard asking Raut the question in Hindi, "SEBI chief Madhabi Puri Buch has been given a clean chit by the government", to which Raut responds, "This government will one day give Dawood Ibrahim a clean chit. They will then take his help in the elections like how (they took) Ram Rahim's help. There are many such names they can give clean chit like Chhota Shakeel, Dawood Ibrahim."
The part where Raut says the word 'this' has been interchanged with the word 'ours' in the viral video, which changes the context of the statement. The original video can be seen below:
Allegations against SEBI chief and Finance ministry's denial on giving her a clean chit
SEBI Chief Madhabi Puri Buch has been facing allegations from short-seller Hindenburg and the Congress party over her investments in offshore funds, alleging a conflict of interest as head of the authority regulating capital markets.
The finance ministry on October 23, 2024, denied media reports which that had claimed quoting sources that the Central government has given a clean chit to the SEBI chief Madhabi Puri Buch.