In the wake of the Ayodhya verdict, misinformation about singer Ranu Mondal demanding a part of the disputed Ayodhya land to construct a church is viral on multiple social media platforms.
BOOM found that Fauxy , a right-leaning satirical website, known for its fictional content, is the source of the misinformation.
Multiple Twitter handles have accused Mondal of being an opportunist and demanding a land for the Catholic faith.
The Ayodhya verdict, pronounced on November 9, granted the disputed 2.77 acres of land to the deity Ram Lalla Virajman. The Sunni Waqf Board is to be given a five acre plot in Ayodhya, outside the disputed 2.77 acres, to build a mosque, the Supreme Court ruled.
Netizens came down heavily on Mondal claiming she was misusing her new found fame.
Mondal rose to fame after a video of her singing on Ranaghat railway station of West Bengal was viral on the internet. Mondal, who was homeless, received accolades for her gifted voice. Music composer Himesh Reshammiya took notice of her talent and sang a duet with Mondal, "Teri Meri Kahaani," .
The tweets read, "Breaking news, Ranu Mondal has asked for a plot in Ayodhya church. Wasn't she better off in the station?"
The same viral fake message was tweeted by Anuj Bajpai, an active BJP member. Click here to view the archive of the same.
Bajpai later clarified stating that he had sourced the news from a "local news channel and is not sure about the authenticity."
The same message was retweeted by Madhu Kishwar, who has earlier been called out by BOOM for peddling misinformation.
The same message is viral on Facebook.
News published on satirical website
The news headlined as, "Ranu Mandal Demands Land for Church Too in the Disputed Ayodhya Land" was first published on the satire website fauxy.com.
An excerpt of the fictional article reads, "Of both the parties – Hindus and Muslims – some welcomed the verdict and some are not satisfied. While all this, another major community of India i.e. Christians, felt left out. Therefore, some Christian organisations came together and requested the new prominent figure among Christians, Ranu Mondal, to speak on their behalf. Ranu Mondal decided to file a claim demanding some land in Ayodhya to be dedicated for Christians as well so that they can build a grand Church. She said that this will be a display of true secularism of India if Supreme Court allots some land to Christians. I will also request Sidhhu ji to come forward and demand some land for Gurudwara."
The website also has a disclaimer, which states, "The Fauxy is a Satire Web Portal. The content of this website is a work of fiction. Readers are advised not to confuse the articles of The Fauxy as genuine and true."