The story uses only screenshots and not actual tweets in view of the graphic nature of the viral video.
A video of a man being beaten up with iron rods has gone viral on social media with users claiming that the incident happened in Chhattisgarh, where a group of Hindu men brutally assaulted a Christian.
A user named @RamaNishani shared the video on X and wrote, “Today at 7.30 am in Chhattisgarh state, thugs belonging to RSS, BJP and Bajrang Dal attacked 3 pastors with sticks and broke their legs and arms. He is in critical condition…”
ఈ రోజు ఉదయం 7.30గంటలకు ఛత్తీస్ ఘడ్ రాష్ట్రంలో RSS,BJP, భజరంగ్ దల్ కు చెందిన గుండాలు 3 ముగురు పాస్టర్ లపై కర్రలతో దాడి చేసి కొట్టీ కాళ్ళు చేతులను విరగకొట్టారు అతను ప్రాణాపాయ స్థితిలో చావు బతుకుల మధ్య ఉన్నాడు.
ఇదే నిజం అయితే వారిపై కఠిన చర్యలు తీసుకోవాలి. అందుకే బహుజన రాజ్యం రావాలి pic.twitter.com/3aexR54Vxv— BSP Nishani RamaChandram (@RamaNishani) March 28, 2024
Earlier this month, the same video was shared as depicting a communal incident in Uttar Pradesh.
An unverified user on X (formerly Twitter), @HeiienK17245, shared the video with the caption, “RAM RAJ If you don’t pray now, then when will you pray (𝗨𝗣) Heartbreaking sight of anti-evangelicals harassing God’s servants in Uttar Pradesh.” The video received over 6,211 views. (Archive)
Another X user, @PeterGeo83, also shared the video, stating “If you don’t pray now, then when will you pray. Heartbreaking sight of anti-evangelicals harassing God’s servants in Uttar Pradesh. Religion is for Love,Peace & Charity but Hindus in India are like Satanists.No love for Human beings.” 
A Facebook user, Junebirth C Marak, also shared the video with the caption, “My dear brothers and sister be aware of what is happening to our fellow Christians in Central India. If you don’t pray now, then when will you pray (𝗨𝗣) Heartbreaking sight of anti-evangelicals harassing God’s servants in Uttar Pradesh.”
Fact Check
We broke down the video using Invid software and reverse-searched one of the key frames on Google. This led us to a 2023 report by The Hindustan Times, titled ‘Bootleggers assault 35-year-old man in Punjab’s Sunam’. The report featuring a screenshot of the viral clip, stated that “The six accused, who brutally assaulted a 35-year-old man in broad daylight in Sunam, are in the business of bootlegging. They attacked the victim suspecting him to be a police informer…The victim, Sonu Kumar, a resident of Jagatpura Basti in Sunam, is currently undergoing treatment at AIMS, Bathinda. He has suffered over twelve fractures to his feet, legs, wrists, arms and fingers apart from dozens of stitches, officials said.”
The report further added that “Cops have arrested Kuldeep Singh, a resident of Sunam, while the other five accused, including the main accused Mani Singh, resident of Jagatpura Basti, Amrik Singh, Lavi Singh, Malkeet Kaur and Gopal Singh, all residents of Sunam, are absconding.” This shows that the incident occurred in Punjab last year and that there is no communal angle to it.
On February 2023, the official X handle of Sangrur Police, Punjab tweeted on X, stating “One video of Sunam is going viral on social media platforms in which one person is being beaten mercilessly by 4 persons along with others. In this incident, an FIR 29 dated 15/02/23 under 307, 323,324,325,506,148,149 IPC had been registered against 6 accused in PS City Sunam. In this one accused has been arrested and 5 are absconding.”
One video of Sunam is going viral on social media platforms in which one person is being beaten mercilessly by 4 persons along with others.
In this incident, an FIR 29 dated 15/02/23 under 307, 323,324,325,506,148,149 IPC had been registered against 6 accused in PS City Sunam,.. pic.twitter.com/VrQ4WryBZb
— Sangrur Police (@SangrurPolice) February 19, 2023
Neelam Rani, wife of victim Sonu Kumar, also spoke to The Times of India in 2023 and stated, “My husband is undergoing treatment at government hospital in Bathinda and has undergone several surgeries on his legs and feet whereas soon doctors will perform surgeries on his fists, fingers and hand. These accused are drug addicts and even assaulted my husband around four years ago also after we have objected them to stop taking synthetic drugs in the vacant plot lying near our house and we are already contesting this case against them in the court but these accused having criminal background and several cases registered against them used to get bail in only few days.”
To sum up, a video depicting a group of men thrashing a person with iron rods is falsely viral on social media, with users adding a communal spin to the incident and claiming that a group of Hindu men assaulted a Christian in Chhattisgarh or Uttar Pradesh. Our fact check revealed that the viral video is from 2023, where a group of bootleggers assaulted Sonu Kumar. The incident took place in Punjab and there is no communal angle to it.
Abira Das is an intern at Alt News.
Independent journalism that speaks truth to power and is free of corporate and political control is possible only when people start contributing towards the same. Please consider donating towards this endeavour to fight fake news and misinformation.
