A video showing an altercation between two groups has gone viral with a claim that it shows a recent clash between Hindus and Muslims in Rajasthan's Karauli.
A voice-over in the video goes on to say that people from the Muslim community pelted stones at the rally organised by Hindus and the police favoured Muslims instead of preventing them from pelting stones.
The claim comes in the backdrop of a recent violence that broke out in Karauli on the occasion of the Hindu New Year, after a bike rally was met with stone-pelting as they passed through a market, leading to a confrontation between two groups.
However, we found that the video, which dates back to 2016, was from Punjab's Phagwara. It showed a communal clash between activists from the Shiv Sena and members of the Muslim community in Phagwara over disruption of the Amarnath Yatra in Jammu and Kashmir.
The same video was also shared last year with a claim about the post-poll violence that ensued following the 2021 West Bengal Assembly Elections and was debunked by The Quint's WebQoof team.
CLAIM
Sharing the video, one user said, "ये वीडियो कही और का नही राजस्थान का जिला करौली की है जिसमे कुछ हिन्दू लोग हिन्दू नव वर्ष के उपलक्ष्य में शोभा यात्रा निकल रहे तभी कुछ मुल्लो ने वह पथराव कर दिया।".
[Translation: This video is from Karauli district of Rajasthan, in which some Hindu people are going out on a procession to celebrate the Hindu New Year, when some Muslims pelted stones.]
Another Facebook profile that shared the video said that it showed stone-pelting by Muslims on the ocassion of Hindu New Year. That post has been shared 27,000 times when this story was being written.
WHAT WE FOUND OUT
While going through the video, we came across a shop called "Nikhil Collection". We conducted a keyword search for the shop on Google images and came across an image of the same shop on Justdial.
The address mentioned on the Justdial page said the shop was in Phagwara and not Karauli, Rajasthan. Taking a cue from that, we conducted a keyword search for communal clashes in Phagwara.
We found news reports on communal clashes that took place in Phagwara in July 2016. A report published in The Indian Express carried images seen in the viral video.
Comparison between the viral video and photograph form The Indian Express.
(Photo: Facebook/Indian Express/Altered by The Quint)
According to the report, Shiv Sena workers and Muslims clashed with each other at Phagwara over the disruption of the Amarnath Yatra. Shiv Sena leaders had allegedly targeted local Muslims and were seen raising anti-Pakistan slogans. A similar report was also carried in Hindustan Times.
The same video was previously shared as 'Hindus retaliating to the violence unleashed in West Bengal' during the post-poll violence following the 2021 West Bengal Assembly Elections, and was debunked by The Quint's WebQoof team.
Evidently, an old video from Punjab was shared with a false claim that it showed a recent communal clash in Rajasthan's Karauli.
What Had Happened in Karauli?
Communal clashes had erupted in Karauli on 2 April after a bike rally organised on the occasion of the Hindu New Year allegedly met with a stone-pelting incident as they passed through a market, leading to a confrontation between two groups.
The clashes led to arson as shops and vehicles were set ablaze, while over two dozen people sustained injuries.
A day after the clash, Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot in a statement to media said, "Those involved in inciting riots will not be spared and stringent action will be taken against them. Rule of law will be followed in the state."
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