On Monday (29th July), alleged fact-checker Mohammed Zubair, Islamists, and other usual suspects started peddling misinformation about an incident from Ghaziabad to launch a smear campaign against the Hindu religious procession, Kanwar Yatra and Kanwariyas.
Sharing misleading videos, they alleged that a group of kanwariyas went on a rampage, vandalized, and overturned a Police vehicle in Uttar Pradesh’s Ghaziabad district.
Alt News co-founder Mohammed Zubair who dog-whisteled against Nupur Sharma, shared the video and wrote, “Kanwariyas overturned a police vehicle after vandalising in Ghaziabad, UP.”
Incidentally, Zubair made another post to amplify the smear campaign. While sharing the incident again, he also went on to target ANI Chief Smita Prakash.
In his third post on the matter, Zubair partially shared the police version and wrote, “As expected, The driver is in Police custody. According to Ghaziabad Police, This vehicle was working in the vigilance department, The vehicle slightly touched the Kanwariyas without breaking the Karwar.”
Another X user named Saba Khan wrote, “Ghaziabad: Kanwariya vandalised a police car that mistakenly entered the lane alinged for Kanwariya’s in Ghaziabad. @ghaziabadpolice what action will be taken against this?”
#Duhai, Ghaziabad: Kanwariya vandalised a police car that mistakenly entered the lane alinged for Kanwariya's in Ghaziabad. @ghaziabadpolice what action will be taken against this? pic.twitter.com/9HuUmARopk
— Saba Khan (@ItsKhan_Saba) July 29, 2024
उत्तर प्रदेश : गाजियाबाद में कांवड़ियों ने पुलिस की गाड़ी तोड़फोड़ के बाद पलट दी। pic.twitter.com/Spdq7o3unf
— Sachin Gupta (@SachinGuptaUP) July 29, 2024
National Spokesperson of the Congress party, Ragini Nayak went on to label the Kanwariyas as “rioters” and wrote, “These rioters breaking UP police vehicles cannot be ‘Kawadias’.”
यू पी पुलिस की गाड़ी तोड़ते हुए ये उपद्रवी ‘कावड़िए’ तो नहीं हो सकते 🙄
— Dr. Ragini Nayak (@NayakRagini) July 29, 2024
pic.twitter.com/Z6WRHtqs27
However, as the video of the incident started doing rounds on the internet with misleading claims, Ghaziabad Police revealed details about the incident and busted the fake news.
According to the Police, the claim that the vehicle belonged to Police is false and misleading. The incident unfolded when the vehicle wrongly entered the lane which was reserved for the Kanwar Yatra. It then went on to hit the Kanwariyas and damaged his Kanwar which angered the Hindu devotees. The angry Kanwariyas then confronted the accused. The Police rushed to the spot and held discussions with the Kanwariyas and after pacifying them, they were sent away. Additionally, the Police have taken the accused vehicle and its driver identified as Awanish Tyagi into custody.
The Police further stated that the driver uses the vehicle for the vigilance department of Power Corporation. The incident occurred near the Duhai Kanwar road in the Madhuban Bapudham police station area.
FACT CHECK: Mohammad @zoo_bear and his Hinduphobic supporters are spreading fake news against Kanwariyas.
— Sunanda Roy 👑 (@SaffronSunanda) July 29, 2024
SPREAD THE WORD
CLAIM: Kanwariyas broke a police vehicle
FACT: This vehicle was not a police vehicle. It was forcibly entered the line reserved for Kanwariyas.
It later… pic.twitter.com/LBkipY2J5m
कांवड़ियों को "अराजक" ठहराने की साजिश..!!
— Shivam Dixit (@ShivamdixitInd) July 29, 2024
दावा – कांवड़ियों ने पुलिस की गाड़ी तोड़ी
सच्चाई – ये गाड़ी सरकारी नहीं थी, जबरन हूटर बजा बजा कर कांवड़ियों के लिए आरक्षित लाइन में घुसी।
आगे जाकर इसने एक कांवड़िए को टक्कर मार दी। जिसमें कावड़ियों घायल हो गए। उसके बाद की ये वीडियो… pic.twitter.com/cD9nkWz32K
When OpIndia did a ground investigation of this incident, it was found that the matter is from the Madhuban Bapudham police station area of Ghaziabad. Station in-charge Shailendra Tomar told OpIndia that the vehicle which was vandalized does not belong to the police department. The damaged Mahindra Bolero vehicle belongs to a private person resident of Loni, Ghaziabad. Additionally, the vehicle was illegally using a Police sticker.
According to information received by OpIndia from the police, the vehicle with a police sticker and hooter entered the Kanwar road illegally by crossing the barricade near Muradnagar. The driver was driving the vehicle in a reckless manner in a lane that was reserved for Kanwariyas.
After traveling about 6-7 kilometers, this vehicle hit a Kanwariya in Madhuban Bapudham police station area. He suffered minor injuries due to the collision. This enraged other Kanwariyas marching alongside him.
Some eyewitnesses, on condition of anonymity, told OpIndia that after hitting the Kanwariya (Bhole), the accused driver Awanish Tyagi, instead of apologizing, started insulting the Kanwariyas. He also started trying to run away from the scene by blowing the hooter. The Kanwariyas, who were already angry alleging that the Kanwar was broken, had meanwhile come to know that the vehicle did not belong to the police and the hooters and stickers were being misused illegally. Angry over the development, they started vandalizing the vehicle.
Sharing details about the incident, a senior Police official said, “Today on 29th July, information was received that a vehicle hit Kanwariyas at around 10 AM near the Duhai Metro Station which falls in the Madhuban Bapudham police station area. Angered by the collision, a group of Kanwariyas vandalized the vehicle.”
After reaching there, Police pacified them and sent them away, the official added.
The Senior Police official further added that during the investigation of the case, it was revealed that this Bolero car was being driven by a man named Awanish Tyagi. He wrongly entered the lane reserved for kanwariyas because of which the incident took place.”
The driver and the car involved in the incident have been taken into custody. According to the official, Awanish Tyagi drives this car for the vigilance department of Power Corporation.
Based on evidence and the statements of the driver, the police are taking further legal actions in this matter.
