Fact Check: Viral Claim About Mohammad Rafi’s song ‘Kashmir Hai Bharat Ka, Kashmir Na Denge’ Being Banned Is Misleading
Vishvas News investigated and found that the claim regarding Mohammad Rafi’s song ‘Kashmir Hai Bharat Ka, Kashmir Na Denge’ being banned is misleading. While the censor board did alter the lyrics, the song was never banned.
- By: Pragya Shukla
- Published: Oct 23, 2024 at 10:05 AM
New Delhi (Vishvas News) A video of Mohammad Rafi’s song ‘Kashmir hai Bharat ka, Kashmir na denge’ is going viral on social media, with some users claiming that the song was released during the 1971 Indo-Pakistan war, and was banned due to its controversial lyrics. The post suggests that Pakistan objected to the song, leading the Indian government to ban this song.
Vishvas News investigated the claim and found it to be misleading. This song was not banned, however, the censor board did modify the lyrics but the song was never banned.
What is going viral?
Facebook user ‘V Kumar’ (Archive link) shared the viral video on October 20, 2024, with the caption, “This song sung by Mohammad Rafi Sahab had caused discomfort in Pakistan. The Pakistani government pressured the Indian government to ban the song. Surprisingly, the Congress government at that time agreed and banned it!!! You probably haven’t heard this song before. Listen carefully to this rare song.”
Investigation
To verify the authenticity of the claim, we conducted a Google search using relevant keywords. We found the viral video on a YouTube channel named ‘NH Hindi Song’, uploaded on August 14, 2020. According to the information available, this song was featured in the film ‘Jauhar in Kashmir’, released in 1966. The film’s story revolves around Kashmir during the late 1940s, after the partition of India.
During our investigation, we found this song uploaded on several other YouTube channels. Additionally, we discovered this song uploaded on the official YouTube channel of Mohammed Rafi Official, uploaded on August 5, 2019.
Taking our investigation further, we conducted a Google search using relevant keywords regarding the alleged ban of this song and discovered a notice on the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting’s website. According to the document, the Censor Board had requested to remove the word ‘Haji Peer’ from this song before the film’s release in 1966. After this modification, the board approved the song’s release. There was no mention of the song being banned anywhere in the notice.
The lyrics of this song are available on several other websites as well. The lyrics of this song can be seen on Gaana.com and Saregama.
For more information, we reached out to Smita Srivastava, entertainment journalist at Dainik Jagran, Mumbai, who confirmed that the claim was misleading. This post has gone viral earlier as well, and Vishvas News’ investigation revealed the truth. At that time, senior entertainment journalist S Ramachandran confirmed that while the lyrics of this song were altered, the song was never banned.
According to the information available on the Government of India’s website, India was under Congress rule in 1966, with Indira Gandhi serving as the Prime Minister.
Lastly, we scanned the profile of the user who shared the video with the misleading claim. We found that the user shares posts related to a specific ideology and identifies as a resident of Delhi on his profile.
Conclusion: Vishvas News investigated and found that the claim regarding Mohammad Rafi’s song ‘Kashmir Hai Bharat Ka, Kashmir Na Denge’ being banned is misleading. While the censor board did alter the lyrics, the song was never banned.
- Claim Review : Pakistan pressured India to ban Mohammad Rafi's song, and the Congress government complied.
- Claimed By : Facebook user V Kumar
- Fact Check : False
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