After a truck rammed into a group of people taking the Ganesh idol for immersion in Karnataka’s Hassan on September 12, several social media users claimed the driver was Muslim and insinuated foul play in the incident.
The accident took place on National Highway 373 in Mosale Hosahalli in Hassan district. As of September 13, nine people have died, while several others who were injured remain hospitalised. Footage of the accident went viral on social media soon after the incident.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi has also tweeted about the accident, calling it a heart-rending tragedy.
The mishap in Hassan, Karnataka, is heart-rending. In this tragic hour, my thoughts are with the bereaved families. I hope those who have been injured recover at the earliest.
An ex-gratia of Rs. 2 lakh from PMNRF would be given to the next of kin of each deceased. The injured…
— PMO India (@PMOIndia) September 13, 2025
On September 13, X user @BurnolDaily shared a video of the accident and suggested the driver, Mohammed Firoz, may have done it intentionally. (Archive)
A tanker truck driven by Mohammed Firoz rammed into a Ganesh festival procession on NH-373 near Mosalehosalli village, Karnataka India.
4 people died on the spot and over 20 others are badly injured.
Do you think this was intentional or just an accident? pic.twitter.com/4YdBvc53Eq
— Burnol (@BurnolDaily) September 13, 2025
Another user, @Raviagrawal30, also shared a provocative post. He said the driver was Muslim who “ran over a crowd of Hindus heading for Ganpati immersion”. This person called it an “Islamic terrorist attack”. (Archive)
Breaking 🚨 Bharat 🇮🇳
Once again, an Islamic terrorist attack!!
In Hassan district of Karnataka, India, a truck driver named MOHAMMAD FIROZ ran over a crowd of Hindus heading for Ganpati immersion with his truck, resulting in the deaths of at least 8 Hindus and
1/2 pic.twitter.com/d1zvZeqORs
— Islamist Cannibal (@Raviagrawal300) September 12, 2025
Several other users on X also implied that the Muslim driver deliberately caused the accident. (Archives: 1, 2, 3)
Screenshots below:
Fact Check
To check the viral claims, we ran a relevant keyword search on Google and came across this report published by The Indian Express on September 13.
This identified a man named Bhuvanesh as the driver of the truck, who was reportedly arrested by the police.
We then looked for the official X accounts of Hassan police or any officers affiliated with it. We found the account of Mohammed Sujeetha MS, who is the Hassan superintendent of police. Under the replies section of her X profile, we found that she clarified to several users who had claimed that the driver was a Muslim named Mohammad Firoz.
“Fake news is being widely spread with regard to the communal identity of the accused. It is clearly established that the driver is Bhunanesh of Kattebilaguli village, Holenarasipura taluk, Hassan. He is injured & undergoing treatment. A FIR has been registered on him,” she wrote on X.
Fake news is being widely spread with regard to the communal identity of the accused. It is clearly established that the driver is Bhunanesh of Kattebilaguli village, Holenarasipura taluk, Hassan. He is injured & undergoing treatment.A FIR has been registered on him.
— Mohammad Sujeetha , IPS (@SPHassan2) September 13, 2025
We also found this byte she gave to media outlets regarding the incident.
Karnataka: On Ganesh procession accident in Hassan, SP Sujeetha M.S. says, “…Around 18 to 20 people sustained injuries, and nine people, including the bike rider initially hit by the truck, lost their lives. The prime accused in this case is driver Bhuvanesh. The entire scene… pic.twitter.com/UExtrgsGEu
— IANS (@ians_india) September 13, 2025
Thus, claims that the incident was a communal attack and that the truck driver was Muslim are false and baseless, as clarified by the police.
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