Did Rajnath Singh support gangster Lawrence Bishnoi? No, the viral video is outdated and edited

What is the claim?

A 15-second video of Indian Defense Minister Rajnath Singh is being circulated on social media, claiming that he has “provided protection” to gangster Lawrence Bishnoi.

In the video, Singh speaks in Hindi, stating (translated): “As your defense minister, I can confidently say that forget about revoking his citizenship. No one will be able to touch it even with a finger; I can assure you completely.”

The clip is superimposed with Hindi text that translates to “Defense Minister Rajnath Singh. No one will even lay a finger on Lawrence Bishnoi. Order of the Ministry of Defense.”

This viral clip was posted on YouTube, Facebook and Instagram with similar claims. Archived links to these posts can be found here, here and here.

The allegations come after the assassination of Indian politician Baba Siddique, a 66-year-old leader of the Nationalist Congress Party (Ajit Pawar’s faction), who was shot dead outside the office of his son Zeeshan Siddique in Bandra, Mumbai on October 12, 2024. Members of the Bishnoi gang, linked to gangster Lawrence Bishnoi, claimed responsibility for the murder.

However, our investigation revealed that the viral video is old and has no connection with Bishnoi. The original video shows Singh guaranteeing citizenship to the Muslim population amid unrest over the controversial Citizenship Amendment Act 2019 (CAA).

What did we find?

A Google search revealed an extended version of the video (archived here) that was broadcast live on Singh’s official YouTube channel on January 29, 2020. A video titled “RM Shri Rajnath Singh speaking at a public meeting at Adarsh ​​Nagar, Delhi” was recorded. ahead of the 2020 Delhi Assembly elections.

At the 46:35 mark of the full video, Singh discusses the citizenship of the Muslim population rather than the defense of Bishnoi. He states: “I have said this several times to my Muslim brothers. I say this repeatedly. Whether you vote for me or not is your decision, but please do not doubt our (Bharatiya Janata Party) integrity. Every Muslim Citizen in India: As the Defense Minister of Bharat, I assure you that every Muslim is a citizen of this country. Forget about terminating his citizenship; I assure you that no one will be able to touch them.”

Singh was referring to the CAA passed by the Indian government in December 2019. The law provides a fast track to Indian citizenship for persecuted religious minorities (Hindus, Sikhs, Buddhists, Jains, Parsis and Christians) from Afghanistan, Bangladesh and Pakistan—Muslim-majority countries—who entered India on or before December 31, 2014. This led to widespread protests across the country criticizing the Muslim Exclusion Act from these neighboring countries, raising concerns among India’s Muslim population about potential loss of citizenship.

The same clip was also published by news agency ANI Bharat (archived here) on January 29, 2020. A review of the video confirms that at the 0:32 mark, Singh reiterates his assurances of citizenship to the Muslim population, further confirming that he was referring to the Muslim community and not the Bishnoi.

Verdict

A four-year-old video of Rajnath Singh speaking in support of Muslim citizenship was distorted because it falsely claimed that India’s defense minister supported gangster Lawrence Bishnoi.

This report first appeared on Loglyfacts.com and has been republished on ABP Live by special agreement. Apart from the headline, there were no changes to the ABP Live report.