A video of a mob torturing a man has been shared as a religious hate crime, emphasising his religious identity.
Verified accounts on twitter, including Meer Faisal (“@meerfaisal001“) tweeted “Another lynching in West Bengal. In West Bengal’s Haribhaktapur, a Muslim man was lynched over accusations of goat theft. The victim, identified as Ruhul Amin Sheikh, succumbed to his injuries at Murshidabad Medical College Hospital. The assault occurred after villagers captured Sheikh and tied him to a tree. This marks the third case of mob lynching in three days in West Bengal. @HiKibria report for @TheObserverPost“. The tweet was made on Dec 24, 2023, which has received an about 44.4k views on X.
Another lynching in West Bengal.
— Meer Faisal (@meerfaisal001) December 24, 2023
In West Bengal’s Haribhaktapur, a Muslim man was lynched over accusations of goat theft. The victim, identified as Ruhul Amin Sheikh, succumbed to his injuries at Murshidabad Medical College Hospital. The assault occurred after villagers… pic.twitter.com/8EYNgm4dj7
The user further tweeted “On Saturday night, a Muslim man was lynched to death by enraged villagers in Haribhaktapur village, Murshidabad district. The 45-year-old, identified as Ruhul Amin Sheikh, was suspected of goat theft. @HiKibria report for @TheObserverPost” on Dec 24, 2023.
On Saturday night, a Muslim man was lynched to death by enraged villagers in Haribhaktapur village, Murshidabad district. The 45-year-old, identified as Ruhul Amin Sheikh, was suspected of goat theft.@HiKibria report for @TheObserverPosthttps://t.co/LB6d91zzLg pic.twitter.com/N7wKJppF2l
— Meer Faisal (@meerfaisal001) December 24, 2023
Several other accounts, including @iamharunkhan, The Observer Post (“@TheObserverPost“), Saba Khan (“@ItsKhan_Saba“), @HateDetectors made the same claim that a Muslim man was lynched in Haribhaktapur, West Bengal, on charges of stealing goats. @TheObserverPost further said Ruhul Amin Sheikh, the victim, succumbed to his injuries at Murshidabad Medical College Hospital. After the villagers apprehended Sheikh and bound him to a tree, the attack took place. In three days, there have been three mob lynchings in West Bengal, including this one. The archive can be read from above.
What is the Actual Truth About this Incident? : Fact
The truth is that he was attacked by enraged villagers of his own religion who claimed he had stolen goats. Another Muslim owned the home where he was apprehended for stealing. The majority of people living in the village where the incident happened are Muslims.
Regarding the event, there are no reports of hate crimes motivated by religion.
Throughout the past two months, several homes have had cattle and bicycles stolen. There is no connection at all between this incident and the religion. The accused, the victims, and the villagers are all from the same community.
An article was published on this incident on Dec 24, 2023 with the headline “After Purva Burdwan, Murshidabad was also beaten to death on suspicion of being a thief”.
D-Intent’s Fact-Checking Results:
1469
— D-Intent Data (@dintentdata) December 25, 2023
ANALYSIS: Misleading
FACT: A video that shows a mob torturing a man has been shared and projected as a religious hate crime by highlighting his religious identity. The fact is that he was beaten by angry villagers of the same religion on the allegations of goat theft. (1/3) pic.twitter.com/50qsyO5iOv
Intent:
Propagandists are circulating news with false claims to create communal disharmony. Due to the man’s religious identity, a video depicting a mob torturing him has gone viral and is being portrayed as a hate crime against religion. But, after proper research, analysis and fact-checking, we have discovered that the same religion’s enraged villagers beat him up for allegedly robbing a goat. A Muslim also owned the home where he was discovered stealing. Muslim residents make up the majority of the village where the incident took place.There are no reports of hate crimes against religion related to the incident. For the past two months, some homes have had cattle and bicycles stolen. There is not the slightest connection between this incident and religion. The victims, accused, and villagers are all from the same community.
Conclusion:
Claim : The man’s religious identity is highlighted in a video that has gone viral, portraying the act as a religious hate crime.
Fact : Angry villagers belonging to the same religion beat him because they thought he had stolen a goat. Additionally, a Muslim owned the home where he was discovered stealing. Muslims make up the majority of the population in the village where the event took place. As of this writing, there have been no reports of hate crimes of religion. For the last two months, several homes have had cattle and bicycles stolen. The religion is not at all related to this incident. From the same community are the victims, accused, and the villagers.
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