Fact Check: Sikh boy killed by Hindus in UP? No, viral claim is false

The video shows two men assaulting a person on the head repeatedly even as a police officer tried to intervene. The video is being widely shared (warning: graphic violence), with one X user captioning it: “One Sikh boy was killed by 50+ Hindus in UP.” (Archive)

A similar claim can be found here. (Archive)

Fact Check

NewsMeter found that the claim is false. The video is old and it shows the son of a ward councillor being assaulted in Bihar’s Kaimur district.

A reverse image search traced the video to earlier instances of circulation with different claims. In 2022, it was shared with the caption: “#BoycottIndianProducts Allah Save India Muslim.”

Similarly, in 2019, the same video was shared, claiming the incident occurred in Kashmir.

These instances indicated that the video is old and unrelated to the current claim.

Further search revealed a clarification by the UP Police Fact Check account on September 29, 2021, which confirmed that the video is not from Uttar Pradesh but from Thana Bhabua in Bihar’s Kaimur district.

A keyword search led to an India Today report titled, ‘Bihar: Mob chants Jai Shri Ram, brutally thrashes Bhabua ward councillor’s son in front of police for killing man,’ published on October 5, 2019.

The report stated that the son of a ward councillor in Bhabua, Bihar's Kaimur district, allegedly shot a man who later died in the hospital. Following this, the accused was violently attacked by a mob in broad daylight, even as police were present. The incident occurred at Shivaji Chowk in Bhabua. The Kaimur SP confirmed that the shooting was linked to a personal dispute between the two individuals.

A report by Prabhat Khabar, published on October 3, 2019, confirms the same details.

The report highlighted that near Azad Nagar in Bhabua city, a young man named Madhav Singh, also known as Madho, the son of Subhash Singh from Sikthi village was fatally shot while riding his bike. Enraged by the incident, locals caused a commotion and apprehended the son of a ward councillor, accusing him of the crime. The mob severely beat the accused before the police intervened. The youth injured from the shooting and the ward councillor’s son were taken to Sadar Hospital for treatment.

Another report by Jagran identified Shahid Rayin as the individual who shot Madhav Singh.

It further stated that riots and vandalism followed the incident as angered locals sought justice.

Hence the claim is false. The viral video does not show a Sikh boy being killed by Hindus in Uttar Pradesh.