An image of Prime Minister Narendra Modi walking barefoot in the premises of Gurudwara Rakab Ganj Sahib in Delhi on December 20 is viral with misleading claims that the gurudwara committee removed the carpet before the PM's visit as a mark of disrespect.
The image is viral in the backdrop of the growing dissent between the protesting farmers and the Center and is doing the rounds with a narrative that takes a dig at the Sikh community for deliberately removing the carpet before the prime minister's arrival in the gurudwara.
PM Modi paid a surprise visit to Gurudwara Rakab Ganj Sahib on December 20 to pay tribute to Guru Tegh Bahadur, a Sikh guru, a day after his death anniversary was observed. Several news reports speculated the reason for PM Modi's surprise visit to the gurudwara, at a time when farmers from Punjab, Haryana and other north Indian states are protesting against the farm bills passed by the Center. The demonstrating farmers' unions have camped in and around Delhi borders demanding the repeal of the bills which they believe will cap their income and benefit the agri and retail giants.
The caption of one such post reads, "No red carpet...Gurudwara Rakabganj Committee removed the Carpet for PM Modi's visit to make him walk on cold floor! He was never humiliated so much like this before!"
Archive of the post can be seen here.
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Fact Check
We ran a reverse image search and found several news reports covering the event. An NDTV report on December 20, 2020 stated that PM Modi paid a surprise visit to the Rakab Ganj Gurudwara in Delhi with no special security or traffic arrangements.
We also found news agency ANI's tweet from December 20 with a video covering the event of PM Modi's visit to Gurudwara Rakab Ganj Sahib. The video clearly shows that the prime minister is walking barefoot on the gurudwara floor adjacent to the carpet that has been spread on the floor. PM Modi can be seen surrounded by his security staff.
Further, BOOM found tweets by PM Modi from December 20 in Punjabi and English. His tweet in English reads, ''This morning, I prayed at the historic Gurudwara Rakab Ganj Sahib, where the pious body of Sri Guru Teg Bahadur Ji was cremated. I felt extremely blessed. I, like millions around the world, am deeply inspired by the kindnesses of Sri Guru Teg Bahadur Ji.''
The video from his visit shows that PM Modi voluntarily walked barefoot at the gurudwara premises and not on the adjacent carpet that was spread.
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