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No, PM Modi Did Not Touch Feet Of IAS Officer Aarti Dogra; Viral Claim Is False
Writer: Jakir Hassan
A journalist at heart loves the in-depth work of reporting, writing, editing, research, and data analysis. A digital and social media enthusiast.
Rajasthan, 22 Dec 2021 11:20 AM GMT
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Creatives : Jakir Hassan
A journalist at heart loves the in-depth work of reporting, writing, editing, research, and data analysis. A digital and social media enthusiast.
The picture has been shared claiming that the woman is Aarti Dogra, an IAS Officer, who is the chief architect behind the renovation of Kashi Vishwanath Temple. The Logical Indian Fact check team verifies the claim.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi recently inaugurated the Kashi Vishwanath Temple Corridor in Varanasi, which connects the Kashi Vishwanath temple and the ghats along the banks of river Ganga. The project aims to facilitate the easy movement of pilgrims and devotees between the ghats and the temple who previously had to pass through congested streets to reach the temple. Now a picture related to the event is going viral on social media. A photo of Prime Minister Modi touching a woman's feet has gone viral across social media. The picture has been shared claiming that the woman is Aarti Dogra, an IAS Officer, who was the chief architect behind the renovation of Kashi Vishwanath Temple.
BJP Spokesperson Shaina NC while sharing this image, wrote a caption in English, "Specially abled not physically challenged, Aarati Dongra...IAS officer who was the chief architect behind the renovation of *Kashi Vishwanath temple* Modiji taking her blessings.संघ संस्कारीक, समॅपीॅत, संकल्पित स्वयंसेवक की नम्रता का दर्शन."
A Facebook page Save Hindu Temples shared this image with a caption in English, "Aarati Dogra, IAS Officer who was the chief architect behind renovation of Kashi Vishwanath Temple. She is rather too short (just Three Feet and 6 inches) BUT obtained 56th rank in the UPSC exam in *her very first attempt; she is the daughter of an Army Officer. Modiji Prime Minister of India worshipping on her feet praising her yeoman services in accomplishing this grand memorable achievement."
It is being widely shared on Facebook and Twitter with a similar caption
Claim:
The viral picture shows PM Modi touching the feet of Aarti Dogra, the Chief Architect of Kashi Vishwanath Dham.
Fact Check:
The Logical Indian Fact Check team verified the claim and found it to be false. The viral image is of Shikha Rastogi of Kashi.
On doing a google reverse image search, we found several media reports on this incident. According to the report of Prabhat Khabar dated 16 December, during his visit to the Kashi Vishwanath corridor inauguration, he met a differently-abled woman from Varanasi in the Dham complex, Shikha Rastogi, and on seeing her, the PM immediately inquired about her condition. The woman wanted to touch the feet of PM Modi, and however, PM stopped her and instead touched her feet.
We also found this image in a report of Zee News, News18, Amar Ujala as well. According to the report of Amar Ujala, during interaction with Shikha Rastogi, PM Modi also told her that a shop has been allotted on her name in Vishwanath Corridor.
On searching about the Aarti Dogra, we found that Aarti Dogra is a 2006 batch IAS officer of the Rajasthan cadre. Presently she is posted in Rajasthan and working as the special secretary to CMO. Also, the chief architect of Kashi Vishwanath Dham is Padmashree Dr Bimal Patel. He has been part of many important government projects like the Central Vista Project.
To sum up, the woman in the image whose feet are touched by PM Modi is not IAS officer Aarti Dogra, but Shikha Rastogi, a resident of Kashi. At the same time, Aarti Dogra is currently serving as Secretary to the CMO, Rajasthan. Also, the chief architect of Kashi Vishwanath Dham is Padmashree Dr Bimal Patel. Hence, the viral claim is false.
If you have any news that you believe needs to be fact-checked, please email us at factcheck@thelogicalindian.com or WhatsApp at 6364000343.
Also Read: Congress Spokesperson Praises PM Modi While Criticising Rahul Gandhi? Clip Viral With False Claim!
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