What’s the claim?

A social media post features a purported newspaper clipping claiming that Shiv Sena leader Uddhav Thackeray has apologized for his involvement in the 1992 Mumbai riots.

The 1992-93 Mumbai riots, which occurred between December 1992 and January 1993, were triggered by the demolition of the Babri Masjid in Ayodhya. These riots resulted in the deaths of at least 900 people.

While Thackeray, a former chief minister of Maharashtra, was not directly involved in the violence, his father, Bal Thackeray, the founder of Shiv Sena, was accused of inciting communal violence.

Amid the Maharashtra Assembly elections, a purported news clipping from the Hindi newspaper Rashtriya Ujala claims that Thackeray apologized for his involvement in the 1992 riots, allegedly stating, “It was a mistake to participate in the 1992 riots, please forgive me.”

The report claims this apology was made during a meeting with Muslim leaders, including Mufti Mohammad Ismail, Arif Sheikh, and Farooq Shah, who reportedly corroborated the statement.

The post claims that Thackeray’s apology was a political move to secure Muslim votes in the recently held Maharashtra Assembly elections, following the Shiv Sena faction’s poor performance in Hindu-majority areas during the 2019 Lok Sabha elections. The report suggests this shift in political strategy, perceived as an attempt at Muslim appeasement, has upset Shiv Sena workers, who feel it contradicts the Hindu ideology championed by Balasaheb Thackeray.

On X, the post was shared with captions that translate to: “Until yesterday, he claimed Shiv Sena saved Mumbai from the 1992 riots, but today, Thackeray is seen apologizing to the Muslim community for the same riots.” Several archived versions of the post can be found here, here, here, here, and here.

A Marathi version of the news clipping was also shared by social media users, including Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Nitesh Rane. The Marathi version, which does not mention Rashtriya Ujala, carries the same headline and content. Archives of these posts are available here, here, here, and here.

However, both versions of the news clipping were found to be fake, and there is no evidence that Thackeray held such a meeting or apologized to Muslim leaders.

What did we find?

A thorough search revealed no credible reports confirming that Thackeray held any such meeting or issued an apology. If such a statement had been made, it would have been widely reported in both local and national media.

The viral Hindi news clipping is attributed to Rashtriya Ujala and credits a reporter named ‘Pranav Dogra’ as the author. However, our investigation found no such article on the website of Dainik Rashtriya Ujala, a Hindi-language daily newspaper with the same name in India.

On November 19, Rashtriya Ujala issued a clarification on Facebook (archived here), confirming that fake news clippings were being circulated in their name. The publication also clarified that ‘Pranav Dogra’ is not associated with their newspaper.

Logically Facts contacted Jyoti Narain, the owner, printer, and publisher of Rashtriya Ujala, who stated, “Our publication has no connection to this fabricated news. The content in question is entirely baseless and intended to mislead the public while tarnishing the reputation and credibility of Rashtriya Ujala.”

What are the discrepancies?

Upon reviewing the archived e-paper of Dainik Rashtriya Ujala, several discrepancies were identified in the viral clipping attributed to the publication.

The fake report’s headline font differs significantly from the style used in authentic Rashtriya Ujala reports.

Authentic reports typically begin with the city name followed by “agency” in Hindi, such as “New Delhi (Agency)” or simply the city name, like “Panchkula.” In contrast, the viral clipping attributes the article to “Pranav Dogra Rashtriya Ujala,” deviating from the publication’s standard format.

Additionally, genuine Rashtriya Ujala reports include a subtitle in a colored box beneath the headline. The viral clipping lacks this feature and instead uses an unformatted strap, further highlighting its inauthenticity.

These inconsistencies strongly indicate that the viral clipping was fabricated to mislead readers and does not adhere to Rashtriya Ujala’s editorial standards.

Marathi news clipping

The Marathi news clip, attributed to a ‘Rahul Pandre, Mumbai Correspondent,’ repeats claims about Thackeray’s alleged apology to Muslims. However, no journalist named Rahul Pandre exists, and no credible media outlet has published this story.

Rashtriya Ujala confirmed that it has no reporter by that name, does not publish in Marathi, and limits its Hindi print edition to select readers in Uttar Pradesh and Delhi NCR.

On November 18, Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Priyanka Chaturvedi criticized a journalist for sharing the clip, labeling it fake (archived here). Shiv Sena also debunked the claim in an Instagram post (archived here).

The verdict

A viral newspaper clipping claiming Uddhav Thackeray apologized for the 1992 Mumbai riots is fake. Rashtriya Ujala denied any link to the credited author, Pranav Dogra, while no journalist named Rahul Pandre, cited in another version, exists. Additionally, no credible media reported this story.

(This story was originally published by Logically Facts, and republished by NDTV as part of the Shakti Collective)