An image has been circulated, depicting a group of individuals holding a Palestinian flag while vandalizing a statue of Maharaja Ranjit Singh. Some reports claim that this incident took place in Punjab, suggesting that Palestinian supporters defaced the statue in India. However, the truth is that the image originates from Malton, Canada, where these individuals carried out the attack and placed the Palestinian flag on the statue.
Sharing the image on X (Formerly Twitter) @TimesAlgebraIND wrote, “Palestine Supporters defaced statue of Maharaja Ranjit Singh in Punjab. Maharaja Ranjit Singh was an exemplary and strong Sikh ruler who successfully repelled many Islamic attacks in Punjab. He protected the country from invasion. He is also referred to as the Lion of Punjab”. Later, he deleted the post.
The truth about the incident related to Maharaja Ranjit Singh’s statue, Fact Check
As soon as the posts containing the images and claims came to our notice. Subsequently, we conducted research and analysis of the incident and found that the incident was not from Punjab, India but an incident from Malton, Canada.
To verify the claims made by the users. We performed a relevant keyword search and found multiple sources regarding the incident. According to the reports(1, 2), Maharaja Ranjit Singh’s statue was defaced by Palestinian protestors led by Hosaam Hamdan in Malton, Canada. Hence, the incident was not related to India’s Punjab.
Therefore, it is evident from D-Intent Data’s Fact Check that the incident regarding Maharaja Ranjit Singh’s statue deface was not related to India’s Punjab, but from Malton, Canada.
Intent
Social media users and influencers are circulating images from Canada and claiming to be from India to mislead people.
Conclusion
Claim– Maharaja Ranjit Singh’s statue was defaced by Palestinian protestors in Punjab, India.
Fact– The incident pertains to Malton, Canada. It has nothing to do with India.
Related Article: Fact Check: Old image of damaged Buddha statue from Bangladesh shared with distorted claims – D-Intent Data (dintentdata.com)
