Fact Check | False claim that Uddhav Thackeray called Mughal ruler Aurangzeb his brother

Thackeray was speaking about a soldier named Aurangzeb who was killed by terror forces in Kashmir in 2018.

A video of the former Chief Minister of Maharashtra Uddhav Thackeray is being shared on social media platforms.

What does Thackeray say?: "He sacrificed himself. Now if I say that he was my brother, you will ask me whether I know his name. His name was Aurangzeb. By religion, he was a Muslim. But, he sacrificed his life for his country, for Bharat Ma. He gave his life for Bharat Ma, he was not your brother?"

The claim: Those sharing have claimed that Thackeray was speaking about the Mughal ruler Aurangzeb.

(Archives of similar claims can be found here and here.)

Is this true?: No, the claim is false.

• Thackeray spoke about Aurangzeb, an Indian soldier who was murdered by militants in Jammu and Kashmir in 2018.

What we found: We divided the video into different screenshots and ran a Google reverse image search on some of them. We found a live stream on Thackeray's official Facebook page dated 19 February 2023.

• Thackeray was addressing a gathering in Mumbai hosted for the north Indian community.

• He began by discussing how he saw anyone who referred to India as their homeland as his sibling.

• Beginning at the 32:12 timestamp, he began discussing Aurangzeb.

Here's what Thackeray said:

"One of our soldiers was in Kashmir and he was going home to meet his family for a holiday when terrorists kidnapped him and killed him. After a few days, his body parts were found somewhere. Was he ours or not? He sacrificed his life for our country. If I say that he was my brother, you will ask me about his name as his name was Aurangzeb. He might be from the Muslim community but he sacrificed his life for our country so doesn't that make him our brother? He was indeed our brother."Uddhav Thackeray at the discussion session with North Indian Community in Mumbai.

ABP Majha also shared the footage of Thackeray's speech on their YouTube page in 2023.

Who was Aurangzeb?: Rifleman Aurangzeb belonged to the 4 Jammu and Kashmir Light Infantry and was kidnapped and later murdered by militants in Pulwama on 14 June 2018.

• His brothers joined the Army the following year to combat terrorism in the state and "avenge" him, reported The Quint.

Conclusion: Social media users have shared this old clip of Thackeray to falsely claim that he called a Mughal ruler his brother, amid elections.

This story was originally published by The Quint, and republished by Deccan Herald as part of the Shakti Collective.