A video of Hindu Mahasabha secretary Puja Shakun Pandey shooting at an effigy of Mahatma Gandhi in 2019 has resurfaced with claims that a Bharatiya Janata Party member had initiated the enactment of the assassination.
The narrative falsely links BJP's fictional MLA Anil Upadhyay to the enactment and accuses Prime Minister Narendra Modi of not taking an action.
The viral video shows Pandey shooting an effigy of Mahatma Gandhi with a toy gun, as her supporters cheer with slogans hailing Nathuram Godse, who assassinated Mahatma Gandhi on January 30, 1948. The viral clip has resurfaced on account of Martyr's Day, which is observed on January 30.
The video has been shared with a Hindi caption which translates to, "How will Modiji react to these actions of BJP MLA Anil Upadhyay? Share this video so much that the entire nation can watch it."
(Original text in Hindi: B.J.P. विधायक अनिल उपाध्याय की इस हरकत पर क्या कहेगे मोदी जी, इन video को इतना वायरल करो की ये पूरा हिन्दुस्तान देख सके)
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Fact Check
BOOM was able to ascertain that the enactment of Mahatma Gandhi's assassination did not involve any leader by the name of Anil Upadhyay. We have previously in several stories debunked the fictitious character of Upadhyay who has been used to spread misinformation against BJP and Congress.
Upon relevant keyword searches we came across the same video that was shot on January 30, 2019 in Aligarh.
The shooter dressed in saffron sari is Hindu Mahasabha's national secretary Puja Shakun Pandey. Pandey celebrated the assassination of Mahatma Gandhi along with other members of the party by shooting at an effigy with a toy gun and hailing Nathuram Godse as a 'true Mahatma'. The members also celebrated Shaurya Divas on the same day. According to a report in the Times of India, the members of the outfit also distributed sweets and garlanded a photo of Nathuram Godse to celebrate Gandhi's assassination.
The Hindu Mahasabha is a Hindu nationalist outfit and following their 'reenactment' of Gandhi's killing, the Aligarh police registered a case against Pandey and 13 others for the same.
Who Is The Mysterious Anil Upadhyay?
Anil Upadhyay is a fictional character created to spread misinformation about political parties, irrespective of their affiliation. BOOM has debunked multiple pieces of misinformation that have done the rounds in the name of the same character. Upon investigation, we found there is no MLA by the name Anil Upadhyay who is affiliated to the BJP or any political party.