Indian agencies are on the lookout for rape accused Swami Nithyananda who is suspected to have fled the country. Amid this, a photo showing a man touching the feet of the self-styled godman is doing the rounds on social media
Though his face is not clear in the photo, it is being claimed that the man touching Nithyananda’s feet is none other than Home Minister Amit Shah.
India Today Anti Fake News War Room (AFWA) has found the viral claim to be untrue. The man touching the feet of Nithyananda is the High Commissioner of Mauritius in India, Jagdishwar Goburdhun.
Facebook user Subhir Rajan Mavunkal’ shared the post on December 7. Till the filing of this story, the post was already shared more than 250 times.
The misleading post is also quite viral in Tamil. Facebook user ’s Krishnavel T S post was shared more than 2,700 times till the filing of this story. The caption along with the post translates to, When nithyananda tries to run away from the country. The moment when amith shah stopped holding him.
AFWA probe
With the help of reverse search, we found the viral photo on the website of Swami Nithyananda. The viral photo dates back to July 9, 2017, when High Commissioner of Mauritius in India, Jagdishwar Goburdhun, visited Nithyananda Peetham in Bengaluru on the occasion of Guru Purnima.
As per the website, at this event, Goburdhun met Nithyananda and signed the official paperwork to open a Nithyananda Gurukul and Nithyananda University in Mauritius.
Apart from the viral photo, some other images of the event are also available on the website, showing Goburdhun with Nithyananda. The national flag of Mauritius can also be seen in the viral photo.
AFWA could not independently verify whether Amit Shah ever met Nithyananda, but a thorough scan on the Internet could not reveal any credible media report about a meeting between the two.
Nithyananda, originally hailing from Tamil Nadu, is accused of raping a former disciple at his ashram in Karnataka. He is also charged with kidnapping and illegal confinement of children.
Last month, Gujarat police registered an FIR against the controversial godman after two girls went missing from his Ahmedabad ashram. Police had then claimed that Nithyananda has fled the country.
Prasanta Patnaik