On 19th August, a Hindu student, who was stabbed by his Muslim classmate in Udaipur, Rajasthan, succumbed to his injuries in the hospital. His death triggered unrest in the city and Section 144 was imposed in the city to maintain law and order. The victim’s funeral was attended by thousands under high security. The administration requested the grieved Hindu community to maintain peace in the city. Amidst all this, propaganda portal The Wire watered down the incident and called the attack on Hindu student merely as an ‘injury’.
In a report published on 19th August, the day police confirmed that the schoolboy succumbed to his injuries, The Wire published a report narrating the ordeal of the Muslim owner of the house where the family of the attacker, a Muslim classmate of the deceased, lived. The administration found a portion of the house illegal and demolished it within a day after giving a notice.
The report titled “‘Is This Justice?’: Muslim Auto Driver’s House Bulldozed After Tenant’s Minor Son Injures Classmate” started with how the owner of the house bought the property and then saw it getting demolished on 17th August.
The Wire conveniently blamed the Hindu organisations for giving the incident of stabbing a “communal colour” and wrote, “The dispute between the minor accused (a Muslim) and the minor victim (a Hindu) – both students of class 10 – had turned communal after Hindu outfits staged massive protests.” They also quoted District Collector Arvind Poswal saying that it was a dispute between the two kids in which one of them attacked the other with a knife. Poswal also said that his condition was stable. The statement came on 16th August, which was mentioned in the report that was published on 19th August.
However, hours after the report was published, the Hindu boy died in the hospital because of the injuries. Despite this fact, The Wire did not update its 19th August report. Another report about the cremation of the child was published by The Wire on the next day, 20th August.
The report titled “Udaipur Stabbing: Victim Boy Cremated Amid Tight Security, Administration Appeals for Peace” again blamed Hindu organisations not only for giving it a communal angle but also for the ‘bulldozer action’ against the owner of the house where the family of the attacker lived as tenants. The report read, “The incident, which officials said was a dispute between the two students, turned communal after Hindu outfits carried out massive protests demanding action against the accused minor as well as ‘bulldozer action.’”
Hindu student stabbed by Muslim student multiple times at school
On 16th August, two students, one from the Hindu community and the other from the Muslim community, got into an altercation at the school. The latter stabbed the Hindu student with a knife leading to serious injuries. The incident took place at around 10:30 AM during the lunch break in the Surajpol police station area. The accused student fled the scene after stabbing the Hindu student.
Outraged by the incident, people have forced the closure of shops in the Chetak Circle, Hathipole, Ashwini Market, Bapu Bazaar, and Ghantaghar areas. The situation soon turned communal as the students involved were from different communities. The exact cause of the altercation remained unclear.
Seeing the situation getting out of control, the district administration in Udaipur city of Rajasthan suspended internet services for 24 hours. All schools and colleges in Udaipur were shut down on 17th August. Expert doctors were called as there were complications due to the deep injuries. Despite the efforts of the doctors, the Hindu student succumbed to injuries on 19th August.
