Fact Check: Image of 2020 Delhi riots passed off as persecution of Kashmiri Muslims
An image of a man being thrashed is viral on social media. Social media users are claiming that Muslims are being persecuted in Kashmir.
By Tejal Sinha Published on 11 Oct 2021 8:31 AM IST
Hyderabad: An image of a man being thrashed is viral on social media.
Social media users are claiming that Muslims are being persecuted in Kashmir.
"āSpeak up world, Help MUSLIM people at KASHMIR (sic)," reads the caption.
Fact Check
The claim is False.
NewsMeter performed a Google Reverse Image Search which led us to a report published by Reuters on February 25, 2020. "People supporting the new citizenship law beat a Muslim man during a clash with those opposing it in New Delhi," the report said
The team then found a report by Gulf News published on February 27, 2020, headlined, "A mob out for blood: India's CAA protests pit Hindus against Muslims".
It also published the same pictures.
"Mohammad Zubair was on his way home from a local mosque in northeast New Delhi when he came across a large crowd. He turned towards an underpass to avoid the commotion; it proved to be a mistake. Within seconds, he was cowering on the ground surrounded by more than a dozen young men, who began beating him with wooden sticks and metal rods. Blood flowed from his head, spattering his clothes. The blows intensified. He thought he would die," the report said.
"At least 20 people were killed in three days of clashes in New Delhi coinciding with President Donald Trump's first state visit to India, with the death toll expected to rise as hospitals were overflowed with dozens of injured people, authorities said Wednesday. The clashes between Hindu mobs and Muslims protesting a contentious new citizenship law that fast-tracks naturalization for foreign-born religious minorities of all major faiths in South Asia except Islam escalated Tuesday, according to Rouf Khan, 43, a resident of Mustafabad, an area in northeast New Delhi," Euro News reported on February 26, 2020.
The team also found a video on the website of Brut on February 27, 2020. In the report, 'Mohammed Zubair, the face of Delhi riots', spoke about the incident.
The Fact Check team lastly found a video on the YouTube channel of 'The Wire' on February 27, 2021. The same viral image can be seen at 00:13 seconds.
It is therefore evident that the viral claim is False. The image of 2020 Delhi riots has been passed off as persecution of Kashmiri Muslims.
