Fact Check: Photos of past violent incidents falsely linked to unrest in Haryana’s Nuh
Unrelated photos are being falsely linked to current communal violence in Haryana.
By Md Mahfooz Alam Published on 2 Aug 2023 2:54 PM GMT
Screengrabs from Twitter and Facebook posts.
Hyderabad: On July 31, arson, riots and communal violence broke out in Haryana’s Nuh town, which spread across Gurugram and Mewat areas. News reports say that the trigger for the violence is an objectionable video that went viral, which led to stone pelting on a Vishva Hindu Parishad group procession.
The clash between Hindus and Muslims caused the deaths of at least six people, including two police personnel.
A set of photos in circulation has been linked to Haryana's violence. Social media users are sharing photos to instigate more violence. They caption the photos: "You (Hindus) cannot protect your respect.” The users have also addressed Muslims with slurs such as “Jihadi” and “Traitors”.
(Courtesy:Twitter)
Fact Check
NewsMeter found the first photo in the set of photos in circulation shows the security personnel in Haryana’s Panchkula from 2017. The second one shows visuals from the National Capital Region (NCR) during a Bharat Bandh in 2013. The third and fourth photos show violence during the anti-Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) protests in Uttar Pradesh’s Kanpur in 2019.
None of them are related to the ongoing communal strife in Nuh.
Photo 1
On performing a reverse image search of the photo, we found that it was carried in reports by The Times of India and The Firstpost from 2017. The reports said that violence had broken out in Haryana’s Panchkula after the conviction of Dera Sacha Sauda chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh.
Both reports carried the byline of the news agency PTI. Taking this cue, we looked for the photo in the PTI’s archive and found it uploaded on August 25, 2017.
(Courtesy: PTI)
Photo 2
A reverse image search led us to a 2013 report by Hindustan Times, which carried the second photo. The report is titled “Noida erupts during Bharat bandh on day one.”
It said during the two-day Bharat Bandh, a trade union leader died in Haryana, and vandals ran riot in Noida. Banking services and public transport were severely hit across the country.
(Courtesy: Hindustan Times)
NDTV also carried the photo in a 2013 report about the Bharat Bandh.
Photo 3
A reverse image search led us to December 2019 report of The Times of India titled “Anti-CAA protests: 1,113 arrests, 5,558 preventive detentions, 19 dead in UP.”
The report carried the third photo, and its description reads, “Police personnel clash with protestors during a rally against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), in Kanpur, Saturday, December 21.”
(Courtesy: TOI)
Deccan Herald also carried the photo in a 2019 report titled “CAA Protests: Clashes erupt in UP’s Rampur; 1 dead.”
Photo 4
On performing a reverse image search, we found the fourth photo in a 2019 report of News 18 titled “Anti-CAA Protest: Days After CM’s Warning, UP Govt Begins Identifying 'Vandals', Sealing Assets.”
The description reads, “Police personnel hits a civilian during their protest against the Citizenship (Amendment) Act that turned violent, at Babu Purwa in Kanpur.”
(Courtesy:News18)
Newsclick also carried the photo in a report titled “CAA/NRC: UP Police Deny Firing, But Reports Claim 14 Out of 16 Died of Bullet Injuries.”
Hence, we conclude that unrelated photos are being falsely linked to current communal violence in Haryana.
