A video of a confrontation between an agitated mob and a police personnel is circulating on social media with a false claim that it happened in Haldwani, Uttarakhand.
BOOM found that the video is from Damoh district of Madhya Pradesh, where a confrontation happened between a mob and a police personnel Anand Singh on February 3, 2024.
On February 8, communal violence broke out over an anti-encroachment operation in Haldwani's Banphoolpura area in Uttarakhand, aimed at demolishing what district officials deemed an 'unauthorized' madrasa and an adjoining mosque. The violence killed two people and injured 100. A shoot-at-sight order has been issued against the rioters by Chief Minister Pushkar Dhami and internet in the area has been suspended by the local authorities. The Indian Express, on February 11, reported that the Uttarakhand government has made an appeal to the central government for the deployment of extra paramilitary forces due to the heightened tension in the state.
The video is being shared with the caption, "Shoot at site order against PEACEFUL PIGS in HALDWANI, UTTARAKHAND. SHO ANAND SINGH THAKUR says 'I came alone. I am standing alone. Touch me '".
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Fact Check
BOOM first noticed that a frame at the start of the viral video mentions, "Mu$lims Mob Surrounded Police Station in Damoh Madhya Pradesh".
Taking this as a cue, we ran a keyword search on Google and found the same video in a news report published on Times of India's official YouTube channel on February 6, 2024.
The description with the news report reads, "Damoh cop, Shri Anand Singh Thakur is surrounded by a Muslim mob & a man in a green shirt was the one who threatened to “chop cop’s hands”.
According to a Press Trust of India report, members of a community protested outside a police station in Damoh city, Madhya Pradesh on February 3, 2024, after a scuffle broke out between a tailor and individuals.
According to senior police officers cited in the report, an altercation occurred between four individuals and a tailor regarding stitching, resulting in a scuffle on February 3 night. A cleric was also allegedly manhandled during the altercation. Following the incident, a crowd gathered outside Kotwali police station to protest, where some attempted to add a communal angle.
Another report from The Press Trust of India, quoting Anand Singh, the in-charge of Kotwali police station, mentions, "When police were dispersing the crowd, Akram Khan, addressing the crowd on a mobile loudspeaker, allegedly said the hands of the accused (involved in the alleged manhandling of the Muslim cleric) would be chopped and their throat would be cut if the police failed to do justice within 24 hours."
On February 6, 2024, The Lallantop, in a Hindi report, featured visuals from the same incident and identified the same police personnel as Kotwali TI Anand Singh Thakur. The report highlighted that Singh intervened to prevent Akram from delivering an inflammatory speech.
The reports additionally stated that steps have been taken to invoke the stringent National Security Act (NSA) against one of the individuals accused, identified as Akram, for purportedly delivering an inflammatory speech in relation to the incident.
Below is a statement from the police personnel Anand Singh in the aftermath of the incident.
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Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Mohan Yadav, on February 5, ordered a probe into the incident, stressing that the strictest measures would be taken against the miscreants.