A video of a brawl near a riverbank where several men are seen using paddles to beat each other is circulating online with a false and communal claim that it shows Muslim river rafting guides assaulting Hindus in Rishikesh, Uttarakhand.
BOOM found that there is no communal angle to the incident. We also reached out to Muni Ki Reti SHO Ritesh Shah, who refuted the claim by stating that the police have arrested three individuals in connection with the incident, all of whom are Hindus.
The 1-minute and 6-seconds video captures several individuals scrambling away from the riverbank, while a group repeatedly attack them with paddles. The clip also shows people ducking and dodging blows, with others yelling and attempting to defend themselves.
The video is being shared with a Hindi caption that translates to, "Rishikesh :- Jihadis are reaching every holy tourist spot of Hindus, and doing all the business there themselves, The Muslim boat rafting people there, beating the Hindus badly. Many congratulations to Hindus for following 'Hum Do Hamare Do'."
(Original Text in Hindi: ऋषिकेश:- जेहादी हिंदुओ के हर पवित्र पर्यटन स्थल पर पहुंच रहे हैं, और वहां का सारा व्यापार खुद कर रहे है, हिन्दूओ की तबीयत से ठुकाई करते हुए वहां कै मुस्लिम नाव राफ्टिंग वाले। हिन्दूओ को बहुत बहुत बधाई, हम दो हमारे दो पालन करने के लिए।)
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BOOM also received the same video on our WhatsApp tip line number (7700906588) with a request to verify the authenticity of the claim.
Fact Check
BOOM ran a related keyword search in Hindi and found that ETV Bharat Uttarakhand published a report on June 7, 2024, which included screengrabs from the viral video.
The report stated that the incident occurred in the Muni Ki Reti-Kaudiala Eco Tourism Zone rafting area in Rishikesh, Uttarakhand. It further mentioned that after a video of the incident went viral, the police took cognizance of it and arrested three individuals. The article also included a photo of the arrested individuals.
Following that lead, we came across an Instagram post from the official handle of the Uttarakhand police, which featured the photo of the arrested individuals and provided details about the incident.
The statement from the Uttarakhand police mentioned that the fight occurred due to a dispute with a client from another company when the raft got stuck on the way to the rafting point. Additionally, it mentioned that a report is being sent to the District Magistrate of Tehri Garhwal to seek the cancellation of licenses for the rafting companies Adventure Company Rishi Ganga and Peddler Himalaya, including those of their guides.
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According to the statement, the individuals arrested in connection with the incident are Ashish Joshi, Kamlesh Rajbhar, and Ganga Tyagi. It also mentioned that the police are searching for other individuals involved in the incident.
For further clarification, we also reached out to Muni Ki Reti SHO Ritesh Shah to get details about the incident. When heard, Shah refuted the communal claim, stating that the police will take action against those spreading such false information.
Shah told BOOM, "This is an old incident. There is no communal angle to it. The brawl occurred between the guides and their helpers. We have also made three arrests in the matter, and all the individuals are Hindus."