How news channels tried to give a communal spin to accidental explosion in Hyderabad shop
Aaj Tak tweeted a news report claiming that on June 12, a chemical explosion took place in Hyderabad’s Gowliguda mosque leaving two people injured.
By Newsmeter Network Published on 22 Jun 2022 10:05 AM IST
HYDERABAD: Aaj Tak tweeted a news report claiming that on June 12, a chemical explosion took place in Hyderabad's Gowliguda mosque leaving two people injured. (attach as hyperlink)
"Hyderabad: Chemical blast in Gowliguda Gol Masjid, 2 grievously injured," reads the English translation of the headline.
The story was also shared by other media outlets such as OpIndia, InKhabar, and 10TV. Many social media users shared the tweet as well and believed that the incident took place in a mosque.
FACT CHECK:
NewsMeter searched for reports on an explosion in Hyderabad that occurred on June 12 and found several news reports on a similar incident. However, there is no mention of a chemical explosion in the Gowliguda mosque.
Speaking to Times of India, Afzalgunj inspector M Ravinder Reddy said that the father-son duo ran a Kirana shop where they sold resin used for binding plastic, fiber material, and fixing floor tiles. The officer said that the incident took place when they were cleaning a resin container and releasing the waste into a manhole on the road causing the explosion to happen.
According to reports by The New Indian Express and The News Minute, the duo were "dumping a chemical into the manhole as its validity had expired. They had added water to the can when suddenly, there was a blast, apparently due to some chemical reaction."
The explosion left a huge crater on the road, completely blowing off the manhole. The son Bharath succumbed to the explosion while his father Gopal was taken to Osmania General Hospital for treatment.
NewsMeter also reached out to the SI Afazal Gunj PS who clearly stated that the incident took place at the Mogaram Basti. The mixing of unsaturated polyester resin and water caused the explosion and killed one man and injured two others.
Moreover, Aaj Tak updated its Hindi report with a different headline. ( Read here)
The explosion did not take place in Hyderabad's Gowliguda mosque. The claim is misleading
