A collage of screenshots from Aaj Tak news channel debate show is circulating on social media. It shows the same person in different videos, sometimes wearing a skullcap, sometimes without it. Many users claim that the real name of the man is Aniket Mishra, but during different TV debates, he sometimes becomes a Nadeem (Muslim) and sometimes identifies as Pandey (Hindu).
A Facebook user shared this image with a description: “By the way, this bhai is Aniket Mishra, but in TV debates, sometimes he becomes Nadeem and sometimes Pandey by wearing a cap.”
This Facebook post can be seen here.
It is being widely shared on Facebook and X with a similar claim.
FACT CHECK
NewsMobile fact-checked the post, and found it to be False.
After carefully observing several posts, our team noticed that multiple users identified the man in the viral image as Haji Mehardeen Rangrez. Searching for Haji Mehardeen Rangrez’s Facebook, Instagram and X handles, we found pictures of a man who looks very similar to the one in the viral image. His bio reads: “Political Analyst and National Media Personality.”
Searching for a video of Rangrez on YouTube, we discovered that he had participated in several TV debates, including Times Now, Navbharat, Republic Bharat, ABP News, News18 India, etc. All these debates have mentioned him as Haji Mehardeen Rangrez. None of these reports identifies him as Nadeem, Aniket Mishra, Pandey or Aditya.
When our team contacted Haji Mehardeen, he refuted the viral claim saying that he did not have any association with the name Nadeem, Aniket Mishra, or Aditya. He mentioned that he used to attend TV debates as an audience member since 2015, and used to ask questions to the panellists. However, in 2018, he started appearing as a panellist himself.
The NM team came to know that he is presently the Delhi secretary of All India Tanzeem-e-Insaf — a Muslim rights organisation that supports the Communist Party. He had been associated with BSP (2010-2014), serving as the in-charge of the Gonda Assembly; and with Aam Aadmi Party (2014-2018).
Thus, it is clear that the man in the viral image is a Muslim, identified as Haji Mehardeen Rangrez. Though he has been participating in TV debates as a panellist since last five years, he has never posed as a Hindu by the name of Aniket or Aditya in TV debates.
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