AIMIM chief and Hyderabad Lok Sabha MP Asaduddin Owaisi has claimed that 61395 out of 95300 names written on India Gate are of Muslims. He was speaking at a rally. The video is being shared widely on social media.

A Facebook user writes:

GO TO INDIA GATE AND CHECK THE NAMES OF FREEDOMFIGHTERS OF INDIA THERE ARE 65% MUSLIMS .....

AND YOU WILL NOT SEE ANY SINGLE NAME OF RSS.

NOW THEY ARE DISTRIBUTING THE CERTIFICATES. "

You can watch the video here:

The video has been widely shared on social media. One infographic has been widely circulated on social media which says '95300 names of freedom fighters are inscribed at India gate, New Delhi. From above, a list of religion and cast-based total is given below:

1. Muslims - 61395
2. Sikhs - 8050
3. Hindus(Backward) - 14480
4. Hindus(Dalits) - 10777
5. Hindus (Upper Castes) - 598
6. Hindus {Sanghi (from RSS)} - 0

At the bottom, it is written that Indian freedom struggle history is written with Muslim blood.

INDIA GATE AND ITS HISTORY

At the center of New Delhi stands the 42 m high India Gate, an "Arc-de-Triomphe" like archway in the middle of a crossroad. Almost similar to its French counterpart, it commemorates the 70,000 Indian soldiers who lost their lives fighting for the British Army during the World War I. The memorial bears the names of more than 13,220 British and Indian soldiers killed in the Northwestern Frontier in the Afghan war of 1919.

The foundation stone of India Gate was laid by His Royal Highness, the Duke of Connaught in 1921 and it was designed by Edwin Lutyens. The monument was dedicated to the nation 10 years later by the then Viceroy, Lord Irwin. Another memorial, Amar Jawan Jyoti was added much later, after India got its independence. The eternal flame burns day and night under the arch to remind the nation of soldiers who laid down their lives in the Indo-Pakistan War of December 1971.

Credit: Delhitourism.gov.in

Classification of names engraved

Indian army has always kept itself in the service of the nation regardless of religion and caste of its soldiers.

On India gate, the names engraved are of the soldiers who sacrificed their lives in World War 1 and Third Anglo-Afghan War. There is no caste wise or religion-wise engraving done. 

According to Commonwealth War Graves Commission (CWGC), the international organisation which maintains the martyrs’ list of World Wars, their monuments, and graves, 13,220 names of Indian soldiers who fell in WWI are inscribed on India Gate.

Here is the text inscribed in capital letters below the word INDIA:

TO THE DEAD OF THE INDIAN ARMIES WHO FELL AND ARE HONOURED IN FRANCE AND FLANDERS MESOPOTAMIA AND PERSIA EAST AFRICA GALLIPOLI AND ELSEWHERE IN THE NEAR AND THE FAR-EAST AND IN SACRED MEMORY ALSO OF THOSE WHOSE NAMES ARE HERE RECORDED AND WHO FELL IN INDIA OR THE NORTH-WEST FRONTIER AND DURING THE THIRD AFGHAN WAR

Conclusion:  The martyrs’ names mentioned on the monument are of soldiers who fought for the British army during WWI. There are 13,220 names of martyrs mentioned on India Gate, and not 95,300. Claim that 61395 out of 95300 names written in India Gate are of Muslims is false.

Note: We were the first one to debunk this false claim last year. You can read our previous article here:

Fact Check: Are 61395 out of 95300 names written in India Gate are Muslims