In Uttar Pradesh’s Shamli, a Muslim man Firoz Qureshi died after an altercation over entering Jalalabad resident Rajendra’s house in Mohalla Ganga Aryanagar in an inebriated state on the night of 4th July. Several Muslim ‘journalists’ and Islamists on social media resorted to peddling fake news and described scrap worker Firoz Qureshi’s death as a case of ‘mob lynching’ over suspicion of theft.
Notably, ‘journalist’ Wasim Akram Tyagi had published three posts on X claiming that Firoz Qureshi was beaten to death by Pinky, Pankaj, Rajendra and others mob lynched Qureshi who succumbed to his injuries while being taken to the hospital. Giving furtherance to a false narrative peddled by Islamists after Lok Sabha elections that Muslims are being mob lynched for their religious identity, Tyagi asked if this is a mere coincidence or an experiment.
Similarly, Zakir Ali Tyagi also claimed that Firoz Qureshi was brutally assaulted by Rajendra, Pinky and others due to which he died. One of his X posts read, “Police have registered a case under section of unintentional murder against the accused of murder of Firoz Qureshi who was killed in mob lynching in Jalalabad of Shamli, that is, according to the police, the murderers did not have the intention to kill him, they were only beating him due to which he died, this is why the people of Jalalabad protested today by keeping Firoz’s body on the road and demanded from the police to register a murder case against the murderers Pinky, Pankaj, Rajendra and their associates and demanded strict action. Learn from Shamli police how to convert a deliberate murder into an unintentional murder!”
Police register FIR against ‘journalists’ peddling fake ‘mob lynching’ narrative
Taking action against five ‘journalists’ passing off Firoz Qureshi’s death as mob lynching, Thana Bhawan Police on 6th July registered an FIR against Wasim Akram Tyagi, Zakir Ali Tyagi, Ahmad Raza Khan, Saif Allahbadi and Asif Rana. These people have been booked under BNS Section 196 (Promoting enmity between different groups on grounds of religion, race, place of birth, residence, language, etc., and doing acts prejudicial to maintenance of harmony) and Section 353 (Statements conducing to public mischief). The FIR was filed against these fake news peddlers on the complaint of Thana Bhawan Police sub-inspector Manendra Kumar.
“Regarding the incident of deceased Firoz Qureshi…Zakir Ali, Wasim Akram Tyagi, Asif Rana, Saif Allahbadi and Ahmed Raza Khan posted/reposted from their X account… They wrote that late at night in the Jalalabad area of Thana Bhawan police station precinct, a youth, whose name is said to be Firoz alias Kala Qureshi, was beaten to death by some people of another community on suspicion of breaking into the house. Anyone would kill someone like this and then say that he/she had suspicions. Because of the tweets by the above persons on their X accounts, there is an enmity and anger among the people of a particular community… Due to this, there is every possibility of communal harmony and local peace getting disturbed. Please take legal action in this regard,” the FIR stated.
Shamli Police refutes mob lynching claims
While these five ‘journalists’ and several Islamists were peddling a narrative that Firoz Qureshi’s death is the latest incident of targeted mob lynching of Muslims, especially after the election, Shamli Police issued a statement bursting this sinister narrative. In its statement, the police said that on 4th July, Firoz broke into Rajendra’s house in an inebriated state triggering a scuffle between the two parties. However, Firoz’s family took him to their home soon after where he died. The police said that there were no serious injury mark marks on the body of the deceased.
Later, Firoz’s family member complained, based on which an FIR was registered and Rajendra was booked under Bharitya Nyay Sanhita (BNS) 105—culpable homicide. In addition, the deceased’s body was sent for post-mortem examination. The police said that the postmortem report stated that the cause of Firoz’s death was not assault. Firoz had entered Rajendra’s home on the night of 4th July in an intoxicated state resulting in a scuffle. Notably, even in his complaint, Firoz’s brother Afzal stated that Firoz used to consume intoxicants sometimes. The police said that despite this, the incident was given a communal colour and passed off as a case of mob lynching.
“It was also informed earlier that it is clear from the post-mortem report that the cause of death was not assault. The deceased had entered the accused’s house drunk. Despite this, the incident was deliberately given a communal colour and it was posted on social media as mob lynching to spread ill will. Action will be taken in the FIR registered as per the post-mortem report. An appropriate FIR has also been registered against the malicious post. The accusations are irrational and hence refuted,” Shamli Police said.
— Shamli police (@PoliceShamli) July 7, 2024
The police stated that since the cause of death is unknown, the deceased’s viscera has been preserved and the report is awaited. Meanwhile, the inspector in charge of the Thana Bhawan police station has been directed to take strict action against the five individuals accused of posting fake news.
Zakir Ali Tyagi has a history of spreading hatred against Hindus
Notably, the accused, Zakir Ali Tyagi and Wasim Akram, often made offensive remarks against Hindus on X. Zakir Ali Tyagi had made offensive comments about Sita and Lakshmi in August 2020 while reporting rape cases. He was also imprisoned in 2017 after writing an objectionable post about UP CM Yogi Adityanath.
Journalist Zakir Ali Tyagi has a habit of reporting rape cases by mocking & linking them with Hindu goddesses Sita and Laxmi
— Anshul Saxena (@AskAnshul) June 6, 2022
"Sita & Laxmi ko nochne ki khabar ayi hai"
But he cannot forgive Nupur Sharma for hurting his religious sentiments
Archive link: https://t.co/PYT6HgyxB3 pic.twitter.com/eI3AYvqyNT
Islamist sympathising media paints a false picture of Firoz Qureshi’s death to give a push to ‘mob lynching’ narrative
Other than the so-called journalists named in the FIR, several leftist-Islamist propaganda portals also contributed in the furtherance of the “targeted mob lynching of Muslims” narrative. In this vein, Maktoob, a Muslim portal dedicated to peddling a false Muslim victimhood narrative, reported the incident in question as a case of mob lynching by Hindus. “In UP’s Shamli, Muslim man beaten to death, 12th lynching since June 4, eighth Muslim victim,” reads the headline of the report.
Similarly, The Observer Post reported, “Muslim Man ‘Lynched To Death’ In Uttar Pradesh’s Shamli Over Allegations Of Theft”.
Citing details from this report, The Siasat Daily also described the incident as a case of mob lynching. Siasat went on to claim that in recent times there have been mob lynchings targeting Muslims over suspicion of theft and that communal violence against ‘minorities’ in Uttar Pradesh is on the rise.
These propaganda outlets effectively portrayed the death of a youth who happened to be a Muslim as a mob lynching and gave it a communal angle, even though there was not one. This blatant spread of disinformation exposes Rajendra’s family to threats in addition to fuelling communal discord.
Islamists using every incident where the deceased is Muslim to push the “Musalmaan khatre mein hai” narrative
While the “Muslim khatre mein hain” narrative has been pushed by Islamists and their extended ecosystem for years, it has gained momentum after the Lok Sabha election results were declared in June this year. These so-called journalists and ‘news outlets’ are desperately trying to give communal colour to any incident of violence or death wherein the deceased happens to be a Muslim. Earlier this month, OpIndia reported how several notorious Islamists and Muslim ‘journalists’ resorted to spreading false claims about the death of a Maulana in the Koderma district of Jharkhand. While several Islamists claimed that Maulana Shahabuddin was beaten to death by a Hindu mob due to his Muslim identity, the police of this non-BJP ruled state refuted their claims and said that the Maulana succumbed to his injuries caused in the accident.
Before this, OpIndia reported about how the Islamists used the killings of three Maulanas in separate incidents to peddle a fake narrative that after elections Muslim clerics are being “targeted and killed” by Hindus over voting for Congress and I.N.D.I. Alliance, however, it turned out that there was no communal angle in any of these cases.
The tendency of Islamists on social media to label every incident of death wherein the deceased happens to be a Muslim as mob lynching exacerbates communal tensions. Such sweeping generalisations not only distort the facts but also inflame sentiments, creating a false narrative of widespread persecution while defaming Hindus.
