A Muslim civic worker of Bhopal Municipal Corporation was accused of “intentionally spitting” to spread Covid-19, when he went to spray sanitizers in Bhopal’s Jamalpura area on Friday, 17 April.
Shoaib’s co-worker, Rahul Dongar, who belonged to the Valmiki community, came to his rescue but was also accused by the man of “spitting in the area” to spread the infection. Rahul captured the entire incident in a video.
A man in a pink shirt, in the video, says he “cannot trust one particular community because of the various media reports that show them spitting in 50 different places and spreading coronavirus.”
After the Tablighi Jamaat event controversy, where many people were tested positive, there have been a spurt of false media reports that showed Muslims spitting on fruits, plates and bread packets. These reports claimed that the Muslims were trying to carry out “Corona Jihad” by infecting Hindus of Covid-19. Many of these claims have been debunked by The Quint’s fact-checking team.
The man in the video constantly accuses the civic workers saying he has “seen” them spitting. When Rahul countered asking for evidence, the man said, “I have seen you spitting. I don’t trust you people. There is one such community whom nobody trusts.”
Speaking to The Quint, Shoaib said, “I was wearing a skull cap. The man realised I am a Muslim and came out of his house. He held me by my collar and started asking me for my Aadhaar card. That is when Rahul intervened and started shooting the video.”
Rahul told The Quint, “We had gone there to spray disinfectants on behalf of the Municipal Corporation. There were two other people who were accompanying me and we were just talking amongst each other. This other man (in pink) suddenly came out. All of us had our passes with us but he kept accusing us to trying to spread infection in the area.”
At the end of the video, Rahul can be heard saying, “We won’t spray sanitizers in this area anymore. We will stop all work here.”
Both Rahul and Shoaib said they have been working as sanitation workers in the municipal corporation for the last 12 years but have never faced such a discrimination before.
(At The Quint, we question everything. Play an active role in shaping our journalism by becoming a member today.)