New Delhi: A video of young men pelting stones at a train has gone viral on social media, especially Twitter, where it was shared by multiple right-wing handles followed by prominent BJP leaders.
These handles claimed the men were throwing stones at the train because they were “enraged and disturbed” by its honking during namaz.
One such account was of Anand Kalra whose Twitter bio says he is a rashtravadi or nationalist. He is followed by BJP heavyweights such as Kailash Vijayvargiya, Majinder Sirsa, Piyush Goyal, Aman Chopra, Kapil Mishra and Nirmala Sitharaman.
The Ghaziabad resident tweeted, “I do not know where this video is from but it is being said that… they were facing trouble while reading namaz due to the train’s horn, that is why they were throwing stones at it.”
ये वीडियो तो पता नही कहाँ का है पर बताया जा रहा है कि…
ट्रेन के होरन से इनको दिक्कत हो रही थी नमाज पढ़ने में
इसलिए पत्थर फेंक रहे है।@ECRlyHJP @WesternRly @RailMinIndia pic.twitter.com/SWoSfMQOLD
— आनन्द कालरा ( नरवाना वाले ) (@anandkalra69) April 22, 2022
Amid several instances of recent communal clashes and violence in various parts of the country, this video could be an attempt to add fuel to the fire.
It can also be noted that retweeters said they were unaware of the location of the incident; and a number of these tweets were also identical:
ये वीडियो तो पता नही कहाँ का है पर बताया जा रहा है कि…
ट्रेन के होरन से इनको दिक्कत हो रही थी नमाज पढ़ने में
इसलिए पत्थर फेंक रहे है।@ECRlyHJP @WesternRly @RailMinIndia pic.twitter.com/JgeBdLpo9W@upwestbjp @Bjpmeerutjila
— Amit Baliyan (अमित बालियान) (@AMITBal82710286) April 22, 2022
ट्रेन के होरन से इनको दिक्कत हो रही थी नमाज पढ़ने में
इसलिए पत्थर फेंक रहे है pic.twitter.com/rW8Lgyuolm
— Dillip Kumar (@AmitKum78899301) April 23, 2022
ट्रेन के होरन से इनको दिक्कत हो रही थी नमाज पढ़ने में
इसलिए पत्थर फेंक रहे है#jihad #stonejihaad#jihaadvirus pic.twitter.com/iSEhipg0a2— Rakesh b Sheth (@RakeshS16832632) April 23, 2022
Fact check
To put the record straight, the video is from Chennai, and the boys throwing stones are students of rival college gangs. The video was recorded by scared passengers on 12 April.
The rivalry between students of the Pachaiyappa College and Presidency College is bitter and has erupted into disruptive fights on many occasions.
This incident took place on 12 April when Presidency College students travelling on the Thirupathy Express spotted their rivals on another train.
Seeing an opportunity to kick up a fight, the Presidency students then behaved so poorly that fellow passengers had to request the train be stopped.
The moment the train pulled up near the Perambur railway station, these boys jumped out and attacked the other train with stones. A huge fight then followed.
The Sembian Police detained and questioned 15 Presidency College for the disruption and investigation continues in the matter, according to the India Today.
(In collaboration with SM Hoaxslayer)
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