A set of images of an injured man is being shared on the social media with the narrative that an Imam of a mosque in Lucknow was attacked by “Sanghis-Bajrangis.” The photographs show a man whose head and the right hand is bandaged. He is sitting wearing a blood-soaked undervest. “नफ़रतों की इन्तिहा हो गई कायर संघियों। 11 बजे रात में लखनऊ में जेल रोड पर बनी मस्जिद के इमाम हाफ़िज़ अदनान साहब पर नीच, कायर संघियों-बजरंगियों ने तलवार से जानलेवा हमला किया। (Coward Sanghis have exceeded the limits of hatred. At 11 PM, Imam Hafiz Adnan at Lucknow’s Jail Road mosque was fatally attacked by coward Sanghis-Bajrangis with a sword. -translated)”. One Shaida Hussain posted the images with the same claim.

Online news platform National Dastak published a report with the same narrative that the Imam was attacked by RSS and Bajrang Dal members.

Several people on Facebook and Twitter shared the photos with an identical narrative. A similar post by one Syed Hassanul Haque on Facebook was shared more than 1,600 times. According to the post, the Imam’s name is Hafeez Adnan.

11 बजे रात में लखनऊ में जेल रोड पर बनी मस्जिद के इमाम हाफ़िज़ अदनान साहब पर संघ के कार्यकर्ताओं ने तलवार से जानलेवा हमला कर दिया।

Syed Farman Ahmed Bhai

Posted by Syed Hassanul Haque on Tuesday, 29 October 2019

Fact-check

A Google search revealed that an Imam at a mosque in Lucknow was indeed attacked. The incident took place on October 28. However, it may be noted that his name is not Hafeez Adnan but Abdul Mukim. According to Mukim, a man attacked him with a sharp weapon when he was resting in his room at around 11 PM. He suffered injuries on his head and right hand.

On October 29, Alambagh police lodged an FIR against the attacker under Section 307 (attempt to murder) and Section 452 (house-trespass) of the IPC. Two days later, Suraj Prajapati, a 19-year-old resident of Barabanki, was arrested by the police. According to a press note issued by the police, Prajapati confessed to entering the Imam’s house, however, with the motive of robbery. Upon finding Mukim awake, he panicked and assaulted him twice with a pipe. Soon after, Prajapati fled the scene.

In conclusion, a case of a failed robbery wherein a man was brutally attacked by the robber was given a communal narrative by suggesting that the man was attacked by members of RSS and Bajrang Dal.

About the Author

Jignesh is a writer and researcher at Alt News. He has a knack for visual investigation with a major interest in fact-checking videos and images. He has completed his Masters in Journalism from Gujarat University.