Video of locals in Rajasthan’s Dholpur stone-pelting at cops given false communal spin

A video of locals in Rajasthan’s Dholpur pelting at policemen is circulating on social media. Sharing the video footage, various users blamed Muslims for the attack.

करौली और जोधपुर के बाद अब ‘धौलपुर’ में शांतिप्रिय समुदाय की पत्थरबाज़ी..

अब कौन भड़काऊ नारेबाजी हो रही थी या कौनसा रामनवमी का DJ बज रहा था जो पत्थरबाज़ी हो रही है ?@TajinderBagga @beingarun28 @MODIfiedVikas @IamAjaySehrawat @AjiHaaan @AnujBajpai_ pic.twitter.com/7OZ3DrkQis

— Vikas Faujdar (@VikasFaujdar) May 26, 2022

करौली और जोधपुर के बार अब धौलपुर में शांतिप्रिय समुदाय की पत्थरबाज़ी..

अब कौनसा रामनवमी का DJ बज रहा था जो पत्थरबाज़ी हो रही है @ashokgehlot51 जी?@DrSatishPoonia @gssjodhpur pic.twitter.com/4rPnmZ3mEZ

— BJP Bharatpur (@bjp4btp) May 26, 2022

Journalist Pradeep Bhandari and certain BJP supporters shared the video on Twitter with different captions essentially implying the same. These tweets now stand deleted.

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Fact-check

We performed a keyword search in Hindi and came across a tweet by Giriraj Agrawal, editor of Dainik Bhaskar. As per Giriraj, the clash broke out over alleged police brutality.

धौलपुर के बाड़ी में बवाल; पुलिस कस्टडी में युवक की बेरहमी से पिटाई को लेकर फूटा लोगों का गुस्सा, जमकर हुआ पथराव। पुलिस कर्मियों ने भी फेंके पत्थर। pic.twitter.com/hXrpB42tZP

— Giriraj Agrawal (@girirajagl) May 26, 2022

Upon doing a keyword search on Google, we came across a news report by News NCR, which provided a detailed account of the events. As per News NCR, the public gathered at around 11 am after they received information about the alleged assault of a youth who was accused of ‘rape’ and was under police custody.

According to Dainik Bhaskar, Bari and Basedi roads were blocked by the public using stones and wood. ASP Bachchan Singh Meena of Dholpur, accompanied by the police of Sarmathura, Kanchanpur, Basedi, Sadar police stations, reached the spot and tried to control the situation using mild force, which made the public angrier, leading to the clash.

The report further adds, that Krishna, son of Hari Singh, was accused of attempted rape by his younger brother’s wife about three months ago. He was arrested at that time but released on bail. Two days ago, when police officers went to his house for questioning, he was nowhere to be found and his family members were asked to send the youth to the police station.

While locals claim that the accused was beaten in police custody, the police’s version differs. A statement by SP Narayan Togas was shared by journalist Avdhesh Pareek. According to the SP, Krishna reached the Bari Kotwali police station under the influence of alcohol. He started abusing police officials and was taken to the Bari Hospital for medical treatment. During this treatment, Krishna fell unconscious, after which he was further taken to the Dholpur Hospital. The SP also added that he spoke to the medical examiner and the doctor has confirmed that the youth is in good health.

धौलपुर SP नारायण टोगस – pic.twitter.com/Ac225msZ32

— Avdhesh Pareek (@Zinda_Avdhesh) May 26, 2022

Therefore, a clash broke out between the police and locals in Rajasthan’s Dholpur due to allegations of police brutality. There are no reports that suggest that the violence was communally-motivated.