A video showing a group of people chasing and assaulting an elderly man has been circulating with claims that a Muslim man was targeted and beaten for removing a saffron flag in Rajasthan. However, D-Intent Data has confirmed that this is an old video from 2018, depicting former MLA Ramkesh Meena being attacked during a Bharat Bandh organized by SC/ST groups in April of that year. The video is unrelated to any religious hate crime.
Sharing the video an account Vinod Sharma(@VinodSh95681522 ) on X (Formerly Twitter) wrote. In Rajasthan, Congress leader Abdul was chased and beaten by the public for taking down the saffron flag and the process has already begun.
Several other users and influencers have also shared the same video and made similar communal claims. Their posts can be seen here. @dushyantindia02, @jasu_dhakal05, @SahilSheok53949, @india_se_hai.
The truth about the viral video, Fact Check
As soon as the posts containing the video and claims came to our notice. Immediately, we conducted research and analysis of the video and found that the video is old. And has nothing to do with religious hate crime as claimed by the users.
To verify the claims made by the users. We performed a reverse image search of some key frames from the viral video on Google Lens. This led us to media reports containing the same visuals. According to the media reports (News18), this is an old video from Rajasthan’s Madhopur. It depicts a mob chasing and assaulting former MLA Ramkesh Meena during a Bharat Bandh called by SC/ST groups against the supreme court’s ruling over the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act of 1989, the incident is from April 2018.
Hence, it is evident from D-Intent Data’s Fact Check that the video doesn’t depict a Muslim man being thrashed for removing the flag but former MLA Ramkesh Meena being chased and assaulted during Bharat Bandh in April 2018. The victim was not a Muslim but a Hindu named Ramkesh Meena.
Intent
Social media users and influencers are circulating old videos with misleading claims to set their narrative based on religion.
Conclusion
Claim – A Muslim man was chased and assaulted for taking down a flag in Rajasthan.
Fact– The video doesn’t show a Muslim man being beaten but a former MLA Ramkesh Meena being chased and thrashed during the Bharat Bandh called by SC/ST groups in April 2018.
Related Article: Fact Check: Mob vandalized slums, residents attacked in Ghaziabad, influencers circulate misleading claims – D-Intent Data (dintentdata.com)
