An old 2018 video of Congress leader Sagheer Saeed Khan showing sympathy for terrorists is being recirculated during the ongoing elections
Amid the ongoing 2024 elections, a video has gained traction on social media featuring Congress leader Haji Sagheer Saeed Khan. In the video, he accuses the BJP of wrongly killing “innocent” people in Kashmir by labelling them as terrorists and promises compensation to their families should Congress come to power (here & here). Additionally, he pledges to release all those unjustly imprisoned under the guise of terrorism. The video is being shared with implications that these remarks were made recently during the ongoing 2024 general elections. This article will examine and verify the claims presented in the post.
Claim: Video of Congress leader Haji Sagheer Saeed Khan accusing the BJP of wrongly killing “innocent” people in Kashmir by labeling them as terrorists, promising compensation to them if Congress comes to power during the 2024 General elections.
Fact: Haji Sagheer Saeed Khan made these remarks in December 2018. The Congress party has distanced itself from his statements, back then. It’s important to note that this video is unrelated to the current 2024 general elections. Hence, the claim made in the post is MISLEADING.
Haji Sagheer Saeed Khan did make the statements as described in the viral post. However, Khan made these remarks way back in 2018 and not during the current 2024 general elections.
A keyword search on YouTube led us to the original report by Republic World, which covered Sagheer Saeed Khan’s statements on 26 December 2018. According to the report, the Congress leader made these comments, expressing sympathy for terrorists and even promising them a cash reward should his party come to power. Additionally, Khan stated that if Congress were elected, families of those killed in the valley would receive compensation of one crore rupees and government jobs.
Several news outlets covered Khan’s statements at the time (here & here). These reports confirm that Sagheer Saeed Khan made these remarks in 2018 and not during the 2024 general elections.
At the time, Sagheer Saeed Khan’s comments sparked a political controversy, prompting the Congress party to distance itself from his remarks. According to reports, Ravinder Sharma, the then chief spokesperson for the J&K Congress, stated, “The Congress disowns and rejects Sagheer Saeed Khan’s statement. He is not a spokesperson for the party, nor does he have the authority to speak on such matters. We will recommend that our national leadership take action against him. We stand with our security forces in the fight against terrorism.”
The official Facebook page of the Indian National Congress – Jammu and Kashmir, shared a video message of Ravinder Sharma firmly rejecting Khan’s statements. The accompanying post quoted PCC Chief Spokesperson Ravinder Sharma as saying, “Haji Sagheer Saeed Khan had no authority to make any policy-related statements without consulting the JKPCC. Any such statements that contradict the established policy of the government are completely disowned and outright rejected. Further, appropriate action against him will be sought from the party’s minority department.”
To sum up, an old video featuring Congress leader Sagheer Saeed Khan expressing sympathy for terrorists is being circulated amidst the current 2024 general election cycle.