Authors
Vaibhav is a part of Newschecker’s English team, where he spots and debunks all kinds of misinformation, making the rounds on the internet. A Journalism graduate from St. Xavier's College, Mumbai, he holds an M.A degree in Philosophy and an M.Phil from Delhi University.
A CCTV footage showing some men attacking shop owners with sword and lathi while they try to defend themselves is going viral on social media, claiming to be Hindu goons attacking Muslims after watching the film The Kashmir Files. In the video a group of muslim men are seen sitting inside a shop when a man wielding a sword attacks them, followed by another man attacking them with a lathi while they try to defend themselves by throwing different heavy objects on the attackers.
The video has been shared on Twitter by user @MuftiWahidSdy_ which has garnered 6,633 views along with 205 likes and 174 retweets along with the caption ‘ Muslims will have to think for the safety of their Life, Property, Honor and keep preparations. Otherwise Who & When the Hindutva oppressor n RSS goons attacked Muslims. This is Hindutva goon’s goondagardi after watching the movie Kashmir Files.’ along with the hashtags #KashmirFiles #IslamophobiaInIndia.
Newschecker found similar claims on Twitter with similar captions.
With the release of The Kashmir Files, a film based on the Kashmiri Pandit exodus from the valley, social media has been abuzz with misinformation. The film, The Kashmir Files is based on video interviews of the first generation victims of the genocide of Kashmiri Pandit community in 1990. According to some estimates, notably by the Kashmiri Pandit Sangharsh Samiti (KPSS), more than 70,000 families fled between 1990 and 1992. The movie has already been declared tax free in several states including UP, Bihar, Uttarakhand, Chandigarh and Himachal Pradesh. While the film has met with immense praise from audiences, some states including Delhi have refused to give it tax-free status saying some people were earning crores by exploiting the suffering of Kashmiri Pandits.
Fact Check/ Verification
Newschecker conducted a Google reverse image search on the key-frames of the viral video to ascertain its authenticity and found a news report by News18 Gujarati which was uploaded on 20th March, 2022.
According to the report, the incident is from the Bhate area in Surat where some people attacked a shopkeeper with a sword as the attackers were asking instalments from the shopkeeper which he refused to pay.
News18 Gujarati also uploaded the video on their verified Twitter handle.
Newschecker contacted the police officer present at Salabatpura police station who told us that “the video is being accompanied by a misleading claim. The incident is not communal as both the victims and the accused are involved in both Hindu and Muslim communities. The clash took place due to mutual enmity. It has nothing to do with the movie ‘The Kashmir Files’. The incident is of 15 March 2022. This date can also be seen in the CCTV footage.”
Newschecker also spoke to Surat Police Commissioner Ajay Tomar who said that “The video is being shared with the wrong claim. There is no communal angle in this matter.”
This article was originally done in Hindi. You can read it here.
Conclusion
According to the investigation conducted by Newschecker, the viral CCTV footage of violence over money-related matters is being passed off Hindu goons attacking Muslims after watching the Kashmir Files.
Result: Misleading/Partly False
Our Sources
News Report of News 18 Gujarati
Quote of Surat Police Commissioner Ajay Tomar and Salabatpur Police Station.
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Authors
Vaibhav is a part of Newschecker’s English team, where he spots and debunks all kinds of misinformation, making the rounds on the internet. A Journalism graduate from St. Xavier's College, Mumbai, he holds an M.A degree in Philosophy and an M.Phil from Delhi University.
