A newspaper clipping claiming that actor Shah Rukh Khan's father Meer Taj Mohammad Khan was among the youngest freedom fighters in the Quit India movement of 1942 is being contested by several right wing Facebook pages. However, BOOM found that Facebook posts are false.
Several right wing Facebook users have raised doubts over a Hindi article titled 'Shahrukh Khan's father Meer Taj Mohammad Khan was one of the youngest freedom fighters participating in the Quit India movement'. The article written by Affan Nomani was published on the website Hind News on October 6, 2021.
(Original headline -भारत छोडो आंदोलन में सबसे युवा स्वतंत्रता सेनानी में से एक थे शाहरुख़ खान के पिता मीर ताज मोहम्मद खान)
Facebook posts have contested the veracity of the article.
View the viral post here.
The Hindi text of the Facebook posts translates to the following: "Shahrukh was born in 1965... Quit India movement began in 1942... According to this article, when Shahrukh was born, his father was 30 years old. That means in 1942, his father must have been 6 year old. Now think what was Shahrukh Khan's father doing in the Quit India movement at an age of 6? Also check the author's name, people like me will keep busting their lies".
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The same clipping has been shared from multiple Twitter handles with similar claims.
Fact Check
BOOM found the original post shared by Affan Nomani along with the clipping of his article published on Hind News on October 6, 2021.
Article Does Not Mention Khan's Father Was 30 Years Old At The Time Of His Birth
We carefully went through the article and found that nowhere in the article has the writer mentioned that Shah Rukh Khan's father was 30 years old at the time of his birth. The article does mention that the Bollywood actor was 15 years old when his father died.
We contacted Affan Nomani who told us that misinformation was being spread regarding his article about Shah Rukh Khan's father. He also sent us a clearer screenshot of his article which states that Meer Taj Mohammad Khan had come to India from Peshawar at the age of 16 to participate in the struggle for independence.
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BOOM also went through the pages of King of Bollywood, a biography on Shah Rukh Khan written by film critic and journalist Anupama Chopra.
The book mentions that Meer Taj Mohammad Khan was born in Mohalla Shahwali Qatal in Peshawar (now Pakistan) Peshawar in 1928.
Excerpt from King of Bollywood by Anupama Chopra
The book states Meer Taj Mohammad Khan died on September 19, 1980, at the age of 52.
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Shah Rukh Khan was born on November 2, 1965. That means his father would have been around 37 years-old at the time of his birth. And in 1942, when the Quit India movement had been launched by Mahatma Gandhi, Meer Taj Mohammad Khan would have been around 14-15 years of age.
Tombstone Mentions Year Of Birth As 1927
BOOM also visited the grave of Meer Taj Mohammad Khan at the Delhi Gate Qabristan in Delhi. The date of birth engraved on the tombstone states October 27, 1927. This means he would have been 15 years of age at the time of the Quit India movement.
Anupama Chopra's book incorrectly states the year of his birth as 1928 instead of 1927.
In a tweet on October 27, 2014 Shah Rukh Khan said that had his father been alive, he would have been 87.
This confirms that the Mir Taj Mohammad Khan was born in 1927.
Mir Taj Mohammad Khan's Participation In Freedom Struggle
BOOM could not independently verify whether Meer Taj Mohammad Khan took part in the Quit India movement.
However, Chopra's book does mention about the role of Shah Rukh Khan's father in the Quit India movement launched in 1942.
In her book King of Bollywood, Anupama Chopra writes 'Meer's elder brother Gamma was a respected political leader. He was a tireless worker organizing anti-British protests and rallies. Meer himself was an in-demand orator-his fiery speeches in Urdu attracted as much attention as his dashing movie star looks. In August 1942, the Congress Party launched the Quit India movement, which demanded the immediate end of British rule. The party called for non-violence, but when the government arrested most of the Congress leaders including Nehru and Gandhi, the agitation turned aggressive. Bombs exploded, government buildings were set on fire, and there were mass arrests. Almost a thousand people were killed and 60,000 arrested. Among these were Meer and Gamma. Meer, then enrolled at King Edward College, was in and out of jail for the next two years. Though none of the other siblings had even finished high school, they encouraged Meer to study. Concerned that the political and social unrest would adversely affect Meer's education, his brothers sent him to Delhi. In 1946, Meer enrolled as a law student at Delhi University'.
Misinformation around Shah Rukh Khan has flooded the social media ever since the arrest of his son Aryan Khan in an alleged drug case on October 3, 2021. Aryan Khan has so far been denied bail on multiple occasions.
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