Elderly Man Assaulted in Viral Video in Rajasthan, Not Delhi; No Communal Angle
A viral video depicting the assault of an elderly man by a mob has caused outrage on social media. The incident was initially claimed to have taken place in Delhi, with allegations that the man was beaten by Muslim individuals for saying Bharat mata ki jai (Hail Mother India).
However, a fact check conducted by India Today has revealed that the incident occurred in Rajasthan, not Delhi, and had no communal angle. The individuals responsible for the assault were identified as local shopkeepers, both Hindus and Muslims.
Upon conducting a reverse search of the keyframes from the viral video, a longer version of the footage was discovered. The video was shared on the Facebook page of Bharatiya Janata Party leader Manjinder Singh in October 2019. In this extended video, the elderly man can be seen using derogatory language against the BJP before chanting Bharat mata ki jai. Subsequently, locals confront and assault him.
Singh, in his Facebook post, stated that the incident occurred in Azad Chowk Market, Bhilwara, and urged the Rajasthan police to apprehend the attackers. Further investigation led to the discovery of another video of the incident captured from a different angle, which showed a shop named Lady Bag Shopee. A search on Google Maps confirmed that this shop is located in Azad Chowk Market in Bhilwara, Rajasthan.
The video had also gone viral in 2019, accompanied by similar claims that a Muslim youth had attacked a Sikh man for chanting Bharat mata ki jai. However, fact-checking organizations had debunked these allegations at the time. The Bhilwara police confirmed that the victim was a 55-year-old man named Hotchand, belonging to the Sindhi community. He was assaulted by five individuals.
Further details revealed that Hotchand struggled with mental health issues and had a history of disputes with neighboring shopkeepers. He frequently engaged in fights with shopkeepers and passersby. The accused were subsequently apprehended, and their names were listed as Manoj, Hemant Nathani, Bhagwan Das, Majoor Sheikh, and Irfan in the FIR. Notably, the FIR did not mention any communal angle to the incident and identified the accused as both Hindus and Muslims.
In conclusion, it is evident that the viral video does not depict a man being beaten up for saying Bharat mata ki jai. The incident took place in Bhilwara, Rajasthan, and involved a group of shopkeepers, both Hindus and Muslims, assaulting an elderly man. The claims of a communal angle and the location being Delhi are proven false by the fact-checking investigation.
