Was former Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru 'slapped' by a spiritual leader? A fact check

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A photo of India's first prime minister Jawaharlal Nehru being tightly held from behind by another person, has been circulating on social media. Users sharing the image claim that when the photo was captured Swami Vidyanand Videh slapped Nehru for referring to members of the Arya Samaj as ‘refugees'.


A user on X shared the photo and wrote, “The reason was, Nehru said in his speech at a function that the people of ‘Hindu Arya Samaj' are refugees in India. On hearing this, Swami Vidyanand Videhji, who was the chief guest of the function, stood up and slapped Nehru hard on the stage itself. Snatching the mic, he said that ‘the people of Arya Samaj' are not refugees; they are our ancestors and the original residents of this country…” (Archive)


The user also claimed that Videh called Nehru a refugee, alleging that his ancestors were Arabs.


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Fact Check


NewsMeter found that the claim is false. The image is from a Congress meeting in Patna in 1962, when Nehru was trying to control a crowd.


Upon a reverse image search, we found the photo published by the Associated Press on January 6, 1997. According to the news agency, a security officer grabbed Indian Prime Minister Nehru to prevent him from plunging into a crowd during a Congress Party meeting in Patna, in January 1962.


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Using this information in a keyword search, we found an archived report from the Indian Express covering the incident. According to the newspaper, on January 5, 1962, pandemonium erupted during a Congress meeting when the crowd surged forward to catch a glimpse of Nehru.


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The newspaper reported: “Mr. Nehru, who has handled crowds all his life, was put to a severe test in attempting to control them and was only partially successful. At one stage, an angry Nehru, completely oblivious of his own safety, used his fists and hit out at security men and Congress leaders who prevented him from jumping into the crowd while Congress Seva Dal and Gram Panchayat volunteers vainly tried to control the crowd. Earlier, Mr. Nehru had literally thrown two volunteers into the crowd, ordering them to control the surging mass.”


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Detailing the incident on page 7, the newspaper reported that the crowd, eagerly pushing and shoving for a glimpse of Mr. Nehru, was partially satisfied when he addressed them briefly. During his speech, Mr. Nehru made a heartfelt appeal to ensure the safety of women and children, urging the crowd to avoid pushing them. He specifically requested that women and children caught in the stampede be allowed to come to the dais.


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We also found the photo in an archived report from The Florence Times, dated January 8, 1962. The photo's description read: “Security men hold back Indian Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru to prevent him from plunging into a raucous crowd in Patna, India, Friday, in a personal effort to restore order. A wild demonstration by Indian peasants broke up this meeting of Nehru's Congress Party and set 24 persons to the hospital.”


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We also searched for any reports of Swami Vidyanand Videh slapping Nehru but found none. According to the website Ved-Sansthan, Swami Vidyanand Videh was renowned as a Vedic scholar and a proponent of the yogic lifestyle.


Hence, we conclude that the claim is false. Swami Vidyanand Videh slapping Nehru for referring to members of the Arya Samaj as refugees is false.


(This story was originally published by NewsMeter, and republished by News Agency as part of the Shakti Collective)