This viral Photo Shows a ‘Fancy Dress Party’ After Rajiv Gandhi’s Wedding, not the Wedding Ceremony

A photo (here, here and here) of Rajiv Gandhi dressed in Muslim attire is going viral on social media, with claims suggesting that this is an original photo and that he and his family are Muslims who practice Islam. Let’s find the truth behind this photo.

The archived post can be found here.

Claim: This photo of Rajiv Gandhi and Sonia Gandhi dressed as Muslims proves that the Gandhi family practices Islam.

Fact: The photo is from a fancy dress party held after Rajiv and Sonia Gandhi’s wedding in February 1968, as confirmed by the Indian government’s archive. Their actual wedding was conducted in Hindu tradition, with Vedic mantras and exchange of garlands, as reported by The Indian Express and visible in their wedding photos and videos. There is no evidence that the Gandhi family practiced Islam or that the wedding followed Islamic customs, hence the claim is MISLEADING.

To verify the truth, we performed a reverse image search and found a similar group photo on the Indian government’s website, indianculture.gov.in. In that photo, Rajiv Gandhi and Sonia Gandhi are seen wearing the same attire. The official description states that the photograph was taken at a fancy dress party held after Rajiv and Sonia Gandhi’s wedding in New Delhi in February 1968. The photo also includes Rajiv Gandhi’s brother Sanjay Gandhi and former Indian ambassador Mohammad Yunus.

Rajiv Gandhi and Sonia Gandhi were married on 25 February 1968. To verify the customs under which their marriage took place, we conducted a deeper search that led us to their wedding video on YouTube, which clearly shows the ceremony being performed in traditional Hindu style. Rajiv Gandhi and Sonia Maino can be seen exchanging garlands amid Vedic mantras, signing the register, and exchanging rings. We also found their wedding photographs, which further confirm that the marriage did not take place according to Islamic custom. Additionally, an article published by The Indian Express on 26 February 1968 states that Rajiv Gandhi and Sonia Maino exchanged garlands amidst Vedic mantras before completing their marriage formalities.

Additionally, we found several mentions of their marriage in various books, and none of them state that the wedding was conducted according to Islamic traditions (here, here and here). In the past, there were also claims that the couple married as per Christian customs, but that too has been proven false. All this evidence clearly confirms that Rajiv Gandhi and Sonia Gandhi were not married according to Islamic practices. The viral photo is from a fancy-dress party held after their wedding.

To sum up, this viral Photo Shows a Fancy-Dress Party After Rajiv Gandhi’s Wedding, not the Wedding Ceremony