Delhi ASI stabbing case: Media outlets falsely claim accused was Mohammad Anish

Hyderabad: On 4 January, Delhi police assistant sub-inspector (ASI) Sambhu Dayal was stabbed multiple times while trying to arrest a man accused of snatching a woman's mobile phone in west Delhi's Mayapuri. The 57-year-old constable succumbed to injuries after fighting for his life for four days.

Several news outlets like ABP News, TV9 Bharatvarsh, Times Now Navbharat, and News Track reported the incident identifying the accused as Mohammad Anish.

Aaj Tak and Zee News also ran a bulletin claiming the accused's name was Mohammad Anish.

Sagar Kumar of Sudarshan TV, who is a serial fake news peddler, gave a communal colour to the incident and called it an act of jihad.

Fact Check

NewsMeter found that the name of the accused is not Mohammad Anish but Anish Raj.

We ran a keyword search and found an article by The Indian Express published on 9 January. The report identified the accused as Anish Raj (24), a resident of Mayapuri. It said Raj stabbed constable Sambhu Dayal multiple times while he was taking him to the police station. The incident happened after a woman approached Dayal for help after her phone was allegedly snatched by the accused at knifepoint.

The Delhi Police took cognizance of the fake news doing the rounds on social media. The official handle of the Delhi police tweeted that there is no communal angle involved in the incident and clarified that the name of the accused is Anish Raj, who is the son of Prahalad Raj. It also mentioned that ASI Shambhu Dayal was attacked with a knife when he caught Anish Raj for stealing a mobile phone.

It is evident that there is no communal angle in the incident and reports by media outlets identifying the accused as Mohammad Anish is misleading.