Viral Ad for Bakrid Sacrifice Attributed to Dainik Jagran is False

• Harshavardhan Konda

The image of an advertisement by Dainik Jagran, featuring the tagline “Ek Muhalla Ek Bakra” (Translation: “One Neighborhood, One Goat“), has been widely shared on social media. The translated description of the ad reads, “This Bakrid, consider sacrificing only one goat for the entire community, if feasible. This can promote community bonding, reduce bloodshed, decrease water waste, and prevent the spread of filth.” Let’s check the veracity of the post through this article.

Claim: Image of a newspaper ad by Dainik Jagran with a tagline ‘Ek Muhalla Ek Bakra’.

Fact: The viral image claiming to be an advertisement by Dainik Jagran with the tagline “Ek Muhalla Ek Bakra” (Translation: “One Neighbourhood, One Goat”) is a morphed image and was never published by the newspaper. The original ad, published in the Moradabad edition on 04 March 2023, has the tagline “Ek Muhalla Ek Holika” (Translation: “One Neighborhood, One Bonfire (Holika Dahan)”). As per the newspaper, this campaign is aimed at promoting eco-friendliness and community feeling by urging people to perform Holika Dahan at a single location in the neighbourhood, thereby reducing pollution. Hence the claim made in the post is FALSE.

After conducting an internet search using relevant keywords, we did not find any evidence that Dainik Jagran launched a campaign promoting the sacrifice of only one goat for Bakrid. In fact, the newspaper has recently promoted eco-friendly practices through a campaign called “Ek Muhalla, Ek Holika” (Translation: “One Neighborhood, One Bonfire (Holika Dahan)”), which encourages communities to come together for a single, eco-friendly bonfire.

Further research revealed that an ad related to this campaign was published in Dainik Jagran’s Moradabad edition on 04 March 2022. The ad titled Ek Mohalla, Ek Holika says, ‘On this Holi, let’s try to avoid arranging Holika Dahan (Bonfire) at multiple places and celebrate one ritual for the entire locality as far as possible. This will reduce pollution and increase community feeling.’

After comparing the viral image with the advertisement, it is evident that the text in the viral image has been digitally inserted.

To sum it up, the photo circulating on social media, which shows an advertisement by Dainik Jagran promoting the sacrifice of only one goat per neighbourhood, has been morphed.