A video of an old man being beaten by a mob in Rajasthan is viral with two false claims that a person from the Sikh community was beaten by Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) workers and another false claim that Muslims beat an old man for chanting Bharat Mata Ki Jai.
In the 2 minutes 20 seconds long video, one can hear the old man shouting "Chowkidar Chor Hai, Main bhi ek chowkidar hu, Bharat Mata Ki Jai", following which men gather around him and beat him.
Click here to view, and here for an archive.
Click here to view, and here for an archive.
Click here to view, and here for an archive.
FACT-CHECK
We were able to ascertain that the video is from Bhilwara, Rajasthan. Local police told BOOM there no political or commual angle in the incident and five people had been arrested for the same.
Vehicle with a Rajasthan state registration visible in the video
We found that Akali Dal MLA Manjinder S Sirsa replied to a tweet with details about the video.
Click here to view an archive.
Another Twitter user also posted a second part of the viral video, claiming that it showed what happened after the man was assaulted.
Click here to view, and here for an archive.
BOOM contacted Bhilwara Police who confirmed that the incident happened on October 15, 2019 at Azad Chowk. They further explained that the victim who was assaulted is 55-year-old Hotchand Sindhi (55).
The police said that Sindhi was assaulted by five accused who were arrested after investigation. Additional Superintendent of Police from Bhilwara, Rajesh Meena said that Sindhi was diagnosed with a mental health issue.
"The victim used to set up a thela (goods stall) in the same chowk and had previously argued and passed remarks with other traders in the market," said Additional Superintendent of Police from Bhilwara, Rajesh Beena told BOOM.
Bhilwara Police statement on the incident accessed by BOOM
The Police statement accessed by BOOM states that Sindhi had been previously jailed in connection with his wife's murder.
CLAIM 1 : SIKH MAN BEATEN BY BJP WORKERS
Additional SP Meena said, "The five arrested accused are traders and have shops in the area. They have previously argued with Sindhi as they claim that he used to abuse them."
CLAIM 2 : MUSLIMS BEAT UP MAN FOR CHANTING BHARAT MATA KI JAI
Bhilwara police denied all claims that the victim was beaten because he was chanting Bharat Mata Ki Jai. Meena said that the victim and the accused knew each other and had also got into arguments previously. He explained that the accused who also had shops near the victim's stall were annoyed as he would frequently hurl abuses at them. Bharat mata ki jai is incorrect."
The five accused who have been arrested in the case are Manoj alias Mulla Sindhi (39), Hemant Nathani (45), Bhagwan Das (37), Majoor Sheikh (31), and Irfan (34). The arrested accused have been booked under Section 151 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC).
