Muslims falsely blamed after UP youths accidentally hit themselves with acid bottles on Holi

by Kinjal

[Warning: Visuals may be distressing for some.]

A video of cream applied on the bodies of two burn victims has been shared on social media with the claim that they were attacked with acid for playing Holi in Dhakrauli village, Khanpur area in Bulandshahr, Uttar Pradesh. Radharamn Das, vice-president and spokesperson of Kolkata’s ISKCON temple, wrote that ‘jihadis’ threw acid on the boys. The video was viewed 5,000 times before it was taken down. (Archived link)

Journalist Sachin Gupta also tweeted that the boys were hit on their heads with acid bottles in Dhakrauli without assigning blame to Muslims.

The video is widespread on Twitter and Facebook.

Fact-check

Bulandshahr police issued a statement on Twitter which said that Tinku and Rohit were dancing during Holi celebrations in Dhakrauli village. Tinku wanted to perform a stunt by breaking a glass bottle on his head. But instead of using an alcohol bottle, he picked up one with acid. Tinku was severely injured while Rohit suffered injuries after a few drops fell on him. The police added that the duo is out of danger.

Alt News spoke with the SHO of Khanpur police station who informed, “These two boys were celebrating Holi. Both of them also got drunk and one of the boys, broke an acid bottle on his head believing it to be a liquor bottle. He was injured and the other boy standing next to him was also wounded. The boys have stated the same in writing.” The SHO further said that the acid bottle was kept to clean toilets and the youth accidentally picked it up.

An incident where a boy accidentally injured himself with an acid bottle was communalised on social media. False claims blamed members of the Muslim community for violence during holi.

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About the Author

Kinjal Parmar holds a Bachelor of Science in Microbiology. However, her keen interest in journalism, drove her to pursue journalism from the Indian Institute of Mass Communication. At Alt News since 2019, she focuses on authentication of information which includes visual verification, media misreports, examining mis/disinformation across social media. She is the lead video producer at Alt News and manages social media accounts for the organization.