No Communal Angle in ‘Jai Shri Ram’ Slogans Inside Haji Malang Dargah

Recently, two videos of Haji Malang Dargah have gone viral on social media. In one video, people can be seen chanting “Jai Shri Ram,” while in the other video, Eknath Shinde is seen offering prayers at the shrine. It is being claimed along with these videos that slogans of “Jai Shri Ram” were raised inside the dargah.

Hate Detector, while sharing Eknath Shinde’s video, wrote that Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde visited the Haji Malang Dargah in Kalyan, Maharashtra, where he is leading a movement asserting that the site is the Samadhi of Baba Machhender Nath, a Hindu shrine. Shinde performed a ritual known as Aarti during the visit, and slogans of “Jai Shri Ram” were chanted at the dargah. (Archived link)

Deputy Chief Minister #EknathShinde visited the #HajiMalangDargah in #Kalyan, #Maharashtra, where he is leading a movement asserting that the site is the Samadhi of #BabaMachhenderNath, a #Hindu shrine.

Shinde performed a ritual known as Aarti during the visit, and slogans of… pic.twitter.com/ZvNKkJwBK2

— Hate Detector 🔍 (@HateDetectors) February 15, 2025

Sharing the second video, in which people are chanting “Jai Shri Ram,” fake news peddler Karishma Aziz wrote, “Now I understand why this country was enslaved for 1000 years. They can’t digest power.” (Archived link)

अब समझ आ गया मेरे की ये देश 1000 साल गुलाम क्यों रहा?
सत्ता इन्हें हज़म ही नहीं होती!pic.twitter.com/JKIguBRDor

— Karishma Aziz (@Karishma_voice) February 15, 2025

Dhruv Rathee Parody shared the video, implying that Hindus won’t chant “Jai Shri Ram” in temples but will do so in mosques and dargahs. He wrote, “Then what is the need for lakhs of temples in India?” (Archived link)

Chanting Jai Shri Ram inside Temple ❌

Chanting Jai Shri Ram inside Mosques and Dargahs ✅

What’s the need of Lacs of tempe in India then??pic.twitter.com/qc8gPaD2mn

— Dhruv Rathee (Parody) (@dhruvrahtee) February 15, 2025

Viral video has also been shared by Kavish Aziz (Archived link), Sadaf Afreen (Archived link), The Observer Post (Archived link) and The Lallanpost (Archived link).

Also Read: False Narrative by The Lallantop: Kilvenmani Massacre Accused Were OBC, Not Brahmins

Fact Check

In our investigation, we found that the video of Eknath Shinde performing pooja at the Malang Gadh shrine in Kalyan, Maharashtra, is 11 months old and not recent.

Apart from this, we also found that Haji Malang Dargah has been a disputed site since the 1980s. A Navbharat Times report dated March 31, 2021, which discusses the Malang Gadh dispute, reveals that this hill—famously known as Haji Malang Dargah—has been a subject of conflict since the 1980s.

Followers of the Gorakh Nath sect claim that the tomb belongs to Macchinder Nath of the Nath sect. On the other hand, the opposing side asserts that the tomb belongs to Sufi saint Haji Abdul Rehman Shah Malang, also known as Malang Baba, who came from Yemen in the 13th century. Both sides have possession over different parts of the land, and the dispute between them has been ongoing for a long time.

Previously too this long-standing conflict resurfaced in 2021. When during Aarti at the Samadhi Sthal, one group raised religious slogans, which led to an altercation between both sides. As tensions escalated, the police registered an FIR in the case.

Further investigation led us to an India TV report, which stated that slogans of ‘Allah Hu Akbar’ were raised during Aarti on the occasion of Magh Purnima. Since the site has been disputed between two groups, the police remained passive spectators.

Our investigation found that religious slogans have been raised from both Hindus and Muslims in Malang Gadh before as well. While the Malang Gadh issue remains controversial, both groups have their own religious beliefs, which cannot be ignored. Therefore, saying that “Jai Shri Ram” slogans were raised inside the dargah/masjid would be incorrect, as both groups claim ownership of the site. There is no significant communal motive behind the religious chants raised.

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