A collage of photos showing Indian Army personnel taking part in an Iftar indoors, is being shared on Facebook with a false and communal claim that the Hindu symbol of 'Om' was placed inside a mosque.
BOOM found that the viral claim is false and that the location seen in the photos is not a mosque but a prayer hall for all religions.
Images from the event where uniformed soldiers and senior officers can be seen seated with food and drink placed in front of them and another photo of them standing without boots, are being shared with the misleading claim.
One of the photos shows a red circle around the Om symbol on a red banner with symbols of other religions.
'Why is there a poster of Om in the mosque? In the name of Ganga-Jamuni culture and Hindu-Muslim brotherhood, the non-believers are making Muslims commit sin against Islam and 'Muslims' who believe in the 'Jummani' culture are accepting such sins happily,' one of the captions shared by several Muslim Facebook users claim.
(Original text in Hindi: मस्जिद में ॐ का पोस्टर क्यों? गंगा-जुम्मनी तहज़ीब व हिंदू-मुस्लिम भाईचारा के नाम पर मुसलमानों से कुफ्फार अपनी शर्तों पर इस्लाम के विरुद्ध मुसलमानों से कुफ्र व शिर्क करवा रहा है, और तो और जुम्मनी तहज़ीब वाले "मुसलमान" ऐसे शिर्क व कुफ्र को खुशी खुशी एक्सेप्ट भी कर रहे हैं!)
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Fact Check
BOOM found that the viral claim is misleading and false. The photos were taken at the Jammu and Kashmir Light Infantry Regimental Centre, Old Airfield on April 25, 2022. The large carpeted room seen in the photos is a prayer hall for all faiths. In fact a closer look at the viral photos also shows the red banner has symbols of Hinduism, Islam, Sikhism and Buddhism.
We did a keyword search of 'iftar' and 'army' on Twitter which led us to a journalist Irfan Quraishi's tweet carrying the same photo along with other images from the event, tweeted on April 25, 2022.
"Army meets senior citizens at Old Air Field in Srinagar. Hosts Iftar Party. Chinar Corps - Indian Army Commander Lt General DP Pandey also attended Nimaz (Prayers offered by Muslims)," the journalist wrote.
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One of these photos was also posted from official Twitter handle of Defence PRO Srinagar. The tweet was days after the defence ministry's public relations officer in Jammu deleted a tweet with images of the Indian Army holding an iftar party in Jammu and Kashmir's Doda district, after the post drew flak from the editor-in-chief of Sudarshan News. The move to delete the tweet drew a backlash from ex officers. The army usually undertakes such goodwill building gestures in militancy prone areas of the country.
We also found a reply to the above tweet by retired army general - Lieutenant General Satish Dua, who said this was at the Jammu and Kashmir Light Infantry (JAK LI) centre in Srinagar. The army veteran confirmed that the place was used as prayer hall for different faiths under one roof.
Also Read: 2017 Protest Clip Showing Muslims Praying On Street Shared Out Of Context