A clip from a news broadcast by channel News 24 has gone viral on social media recently. It is being claimed that a Muslim domestic help in Bhopal was caught adding saliva and urine into the food she was cooking for her employer Mahesh Suri. A Twitter user named Anurag Tamarkar shared the clip with this claim on February 25, where it amassed more than 23,000 views before it was taken down.
Akash RSS, who has been caught spreading misinformation on several occasions, also posted the video and accompanying claim. A Facebook page titled ‘Kadar Sher Hindu’ shared the visuals as well.
#शेयर
*मूत जिहाद*
*लव,जमीन,थूक जैसे कई जिहादो की श्रेणी में अब नया नाम**भोपाल में मुकेश सूरी जी ने ‘हसीना’ नामक मुस्लिम नौकरानी को काम पर रखा और नौकरानी ने अपने इस्लामी मज़हब के अनुसार आचरण करना शुरू कर दिया!! अपने थूक और पेशाब से बना कर खिलाती थी खाना!*
Posted by कट्टर हिन्दू शेर , Kattar Hindu sher on Thursday, February 25, 2021
Several people on Facebook also claimed that a Muslim domestic help employed in a Hindu household was lacing her employers’ food with urine and spit.
Fact-check
It is noteworthy that while the viral texts give a communal angle to the incident, the broadcast does not mention the maid’s name or her religion. But the channel does say that the incident took place in Bhopal and carries a statement by complainant Mukesh Suri. We also observed that the date on the CCTV footage aired is 17/10/2011.
A report in The Times of India dated October 18, 2011, identifies the woman in question as Asha Kaushal. Dainik Jagran also reported in 2011 that her name is Asha Kaushal.
A local news channel named Janadesh News covered the incident. In a video story from October 2011, she is referred to as Asha. “The employers had previously suspected Asha of theft and fired her and her granddaughter. However, she returned to work after an apology. Perhaps she had decided on getting revenge on the same day. And she committed this atrocious act to teach them a lesson,” the report stated.
Therefore, the name of the accused is not Haseena, but Asha and the incident occurred back in 2011. A 10-year-old video on social media has been shared with a false Muslim angle.
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