News portal News Track Live published an article that Samajwadi Party (SP) leader Azam Khan has declared that he is a 'Ram bhakt' and treatened to take his life by 'Jal Samadhi' in Saryu river if he is not invited to the Bhoomi Pujan of Ram Mandir in Ayodhya on August 5.
This report was tweeted by BJP spokesperson Sambit Patra.
The same news was also tweeted and published without verification by right-wing portal Swarajya. It was reported that Khan was in Ayodhya when he took the oath of sacrificing himself if not invited to the foundation laying ceremony.
A different Azam Khan
It turned out that news portals News Track and Swarajya mixed up SP leader Azam Khan with another person with the same name. Kunwar Mohd. Azam Khan is the President of Shri Ram Mandir Nirman Muslim Karsevak Manch. He is the one who had made this announcement. Khan was earlier associated with the RSS-backed Muslim Rashtriya Manch. He later established Muslim Karsevak Manch and has been in the news for actively supporting the construction of Ram Mandir.
In the video below, Kunwar Mohd. Azam Khan can be seen making the threat of 'Jal Samadhi'.
Meanwhile, Samajwadi Party MP Azam Khan is currently in jail along with his wife and son. According to an India Today report, he was booked for "land grabbing, encroachment, book theft, power theft, statue theft, buffalo theft, goat theft while his son Abdullah Azam was booked for forgery in birth date documents."
Both News Track and Swarajya updated their reports without clarification. BJP's Sambit Patra quote-tweeted his erroneous tweet and wrote, "It seems that the agency published incorrect news."
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