On 9th September, Türkiye-based Urdu news channel RTE Urdu spread fake news to malign Hindus and India. In a post on X in Urdu, the media house wrote, “In India, people attacked solar panels at the behest of a Hindu pandit. The pandit said that if we use solar energy, we will disturb the sun god,” while sharing a video of a few people destroying solar panels. By the time this report was published, the post had gathered over 34,000 impressions, more than 380 reposts, and over 900 likes.
When OpIndia checked the video, it found that it was not a recent incident and had nothing to do with any Hindu priest. The video was from 2018, and the solar panels were destroyed by workers over non-payment of wages. When the video was first shared on social media, it was claimed that BJP workers had destroyed the solar panels. The video was shared on an Aam Aadmi Party Facebook group, claiming that BJP leader Ashok Saxena had said that using solar energy angers the sun god, after which BJP workers destroyed the solar panels.
Interestingly, there was no BJP MP named Ashok Saxena at that time. The video was first shared by a YouTube channel, Climate Samurai, which mentioned that the destruction took place after the workers at the solar park did not receive their wages.
The video has surfaced several times making similar claims. In June this year, some Pakistani handles shared the same video.
Verdict: The claims by Turkish media RTE are FALSE.
