Indian propaganda against Pakistan regarding grave with iron grille exposed

ISLAMABAD (APP): Indian media propaganda against Pakistan with respect to a viral photo of a grave with iron grille was exposed when it was revealed that the photo was from the Indian Hyderabad, not  Pakistan as claimed by the Indian media.

The Indian media is linking the viral image of a padlocked grave to rising necrophilia cases in Pakistan, claiming that the image was an example of how mothers lock their daudghters’ graves in Pakistan in order to prevent rape.

A news agency “ANI Digital” based in India, published an article titled ‘Pakistani parents lock daughters’ graves to avoid rape with the image that got viral, was later used by several major media outlets of India to propagate the false report.

The Times of India, TOI, NDTV, Mirror Now, ThePrint, India Today, Wion, IndiaTV, Times Now, DNA India, OpIndia Hindi, News24, ABP News, Amar Ujala, News18, Firstpost and Jagran were among those media outlets which used the same image in their respective reports.

Harris Sultan, who is the author of the book ‘The Curse of God – Why I Left Islam’, tweeted the same image and claimed that it was clicked in Pakistan”.

Robert Spencer, director of Jihad Watch, tweeted the image with the caption ‘Pakistan: Parents padlock graves of deceased daughters to prevent necrophilia’.

Other users, including Twitter Blue subscribers @MrSinha_, @instablog9ja, @ImtiazMadmood, Pakistan Untold and @TheSkandar, have also tweeted the same image and linked it to Pakistan’s rising cases of necrophilia.

However, according to a fact-checking specialized news website “Alt News”, the image used by the media outlets was actually from a cemetery in Hyderabad, India.

The cemetery is located opposite Masjid E Salar Mulk, a mosque in Darab Jung Colony, Madannapet, Hyderabad. Below is an image of the Google Street View of the cemetery where the padlocked grave is clearly visible.

According to the Alt News, it contacted a social worker named Abdul Jaleel who is a resident of Hyderabad. On being requested, he visited the spot and provided us with photographs of the grave in question.

Jaleel spoke to Muqtar Sahab, who is the Muazzin of the Masjid E Salar Mulk. Muqtar Sahab said that the padlocked grave, which was approximately 1.5 to 2-year old, was constructed without the permission of the concerned committee. It is located right in front of the entrance, thus blocking the pathway. This issue was discussed among the Masjid committee members for eight days.

Explaining the reason behind the grille or jaali as Muqtar Sahab called it, he added, “A lot of people come here and bury bodies over the old graves without permission. The people who already have their close ones resting here have had complaints since they come here to read Fateha. In order to prevent others from burying any bodies further, the families have put the grille there.”

On being informed about the image of this grave being circulated with the claim that it is from Pakistan, Muqtar Sahab refuted it and added that the grille was constructed also with a view to preventing people from stamping on the grave since it was right in front of the entrance. Muqtar Sahab corroborated the address of the cemetery as Madannapet, Darab Jung colony, which matched Alt News’ findings as stated earlier, the Alt News said.

It said the Alt News also spoke to a local resident whose house is near the mosque. He informed us that the grave belonged to an aged woman who had passed away in her seventies. Her son constructed the grille over the grave about 40 days after she had been buried.

Thus the Alt News found that the padlock had nothing to do with necrophilia or Pakistan.