A graphic video showing four people attacking a man with an axe on a street was shared across social media platforms with a claim that the gruesome video showed four Muslim men attacking a Hindu man in Rajasthan's Tonk.
But we found that the video showed the murder of one Anwar Shaikh by a group of axe-wielding attackers in Haveri, Karnataka. Shaikh was reportedly a gangster in the area who had a number of charges against him, including extortion and murder.
CLAIM
The video of the brutal attack was shared on social media platforms with the same claim in Hindi and English, which reads:
"4 Muslims attacked a Hindu with axe and knife. This video is from Malpur, Tok, Rajasthan. Just look at the savagery. This is called Lynching by Muslims."
(Warning: Due to the graphic nature of the visuals we have not added any link to the video.)
The video is also being shared on Facebook and even Telegram.
The Quint received queries for the video's verification on its WhatsApp tipline as well.
WHAT WE FOUND
We did a keyword search on YouTube and came across the same video which was uploaded on a channel called 'Awake Goans'.
The caption of the video stated that the clip showed the murder of 'history sheeter' Anwar Sheikh, who was killed in a brutal attack in Karnataka's Haveri district.
We then looked for reports regarding the same using Sheikh's name as a keyword and found news reports by The Times of India and Deccan Herald.
As per The Times of India published on 11 August, the police said that the assailants attacked Shaikh as he had threatened one of the assailants after they failed to pay him "protection money". It further mentioned that the incident took place at Savanur in Karnataka’s Haveri district.
Speaking to The Quint, Haveri's Superintendent of Police (SP) Hanumant Rai said that the assailants and the victim had some personal enmity and all four people have been arrested.
On being asked about the viral claim, the SP said that all the men belonged to the Muslim community and there is no communal angle to the matter.
Clearly, the graphic video is not from Rajasthan and the violence is not communal in nature. The video shows the murder of gangster Anwar Shaikh in Karnataka, which was borne out of personal issues.
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