Authors
Pankaj Menon is a fact-checker based out of Delhi who enjoys ‘digital sleuthing’ and calling out misinformation. He has completed his MA in International Relations from Madras University and has worked with organisations like NDTV, Times Now and Deccan Chronicle online in the past.
Claim
Differently abled kid branded with ‘Jai Bholenath ‘ slogans by those belonging to ‘Sanatan Dharma’
Fact
The ‘Jai Bholenath’ slogan was written on the forehead of the differently abled youth by his own cousin using a sketch pen as a ‘prank’ and both the victim and the accused belong to the same community. The writing has faded since, and the mother of the victim has refused to file a police complaint.
A video of a young man writing ‘Jai Bholenath’ on his forehead has recently gone viral on social media. In the video, a woman mentions that the young man is specially abled. A section of social media users posted in this video that some Hindu man wrote on the victim’s forehead.
The incident took place in Uttar Pradesh’s Bareli. The viral video is being shared targeting Sanatan Dharma, making it appear that the accused in this incident are from the Hindu community.
The video shared via X can be viewed by clicking here.
Multiple X profiles and Facebook profiles shared the video with the same claim. They can be viewed by clicking here, here, here and here.
Fact Check/Verification
Newschecker first started its investigation with a keyword search on Google, where we found many media reports and social media posts on the incident.
A report published by News9Live on September 4 said, “A deeply distressing incident has surfaced from Bareilly, Uttar Pradesh, where a mentally challenged boy was subjected to a distressing act by a relative who tattooed ‘Jai Bholenath’ on the boy’s forehead.” Read the full story here.
Similarly, a report on Dainik Bhaskar informed that a mentally challenged young man in Bareilly had ‘Jai Bholenath’ tattooed on his forehead, and revealed that the act was carried out by a contractual employee of the electricity department. This incident led to an uproar among members of the Muslim community in the vicinity, the report noted and added that the police swiftly responded to the scene and managed to calm the situation. The authorities are currently questioning the accused, and a formal complaint has been filed by the victim’s family. Notably, both parties involved in this incident belong to the Muslim community, the report said.
Further search took us to a tweet from Bareilly police on ‘X’ where the police confirmed that the accused and the victim were cousins and that they belonged to the same community. “Upon investigation, it has been revealed that an individual named Shadab Khan had inscribed a religious phrase on his cousin’s forehead approximately five days ago using a marker pen. The marking has since faded. Interestingly, the victim’s mother has declined to pursue any legal action in this matter and has not filed a formal complaint” translation of the Hindi tweet read.
Newschecker further reached out to Rabindra Singh, SHO, Prem Nagar PS under Bareilly Police, who said, “There is no Case Registered in this regard. A cousin wrote ‘Jai Bholenath’ on the said victim’s forehead. It was written with a marker pen. There is nothing religious about it. It was for a prank and the families have compromised within themselves.”
Conclusion
Thus our investigation confirms that the claim that a differently abled Muslim youth was branded with ‘Jai bholenath’ slogan in UP’s Bareilly by members of ‘Sanatana dharma’ is untrue. The accused and the victim are cousins and belong to the same community.
Result: False
Our Sources:
1. Tweet by AAPkaRamGupta, dated September 4, 2022
2. Report published by News9Live, dated September 4, 2022
3. Report published by Dainik Bhaskar, dated September 4, 2022
4. Facebook post by Youth Express dated September 4, 2022
5. Tweet by Bareilly Police, dated September 5, 2022
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Authors
Pankaj Menon is a fact-checker based out of Delhi who enjoys ‘digital sleuthing’ and calling out misinformation. He has completed his MA in International Relations from Madras University and has worked with organisations like NDTV, Times Now and Deccan Chronicle online in the past.
