Fact-check: Did an ‘Islamic mob’ attack constable Sandeep after Kanhaiya Lal’s murder?

On June 28, 2022, tailor Kanhaiya Lal was brutally murdered by two Muslim men in Rajasthan’s Udaipur. The attackers made a video of the incident and shared it on social media. In their video, the two assailants termed the murder of Kanhaiya Lal as an act of revenge for the alleged derogatory remarks on Prophet Mohammad made by former BJP spokesperson Nupur Sharma. Sharma’s comments on Prophet Mohammad made during a TV debate, triggered widespread protests across the country. Her statement was also condemned by several Gulf countries, following which, the BJP expelled Nupur Sharma from the party, calling her a ‘fringe element’.

Police identified the two main accused of Kanhaiya Lal’s murder as Mohammad Riaz and Ghaus Mohammad. Seven people have been arrested so far in connection with the murder of Kanhaiya Lal. Against the backdrop of this unfortunate incident, it is being claimed that people from the Muslim community attacked the police while protesting against the arrest of the killers of Kanhaiya Lal.

Pro-BJP propaganda website OpIndia reported that an Islamic mob attacked police constable Sandeep on his neck with a sharp weapon, leaving him seriously injured (archived link). OpIndia also shared the same on its Twitter handle and Facebook page. However, the posts were later deleted.

BJP spokesperson Prashant Kumar Umrao tweeted, “While protesting the arrest of the terrorist killers of Kanhaiya Lal in Rajsamand, a mob attacked constable Sandeep with a sword, injuring his neck.” Umrao has deleted the tweet. (Archived link)

Kreately Media tweeted that when police officers went to arrest Goz Mohammed and Riyaz, the two main accused in Kanhaiya Lal’s murder, a mob attacked the police with stones and swords. Constable Sandeep was seriously injured in the attack and was referred to Ajmer. (Archived link)

आप सभी को ये पता होना चाहिए-

कनाहिया लाल के हत्यारे गोज मोहम्मद और रियाज़ को पकड़ने गई पुलिस पर पत्थरबाजी और तलवार से हमला हुआ।

कांस्टेबल संदीप को खंजर से मारा। गंभीर हालत में अजमेर रेफर कराया गया। #Kanhaiya #Kanahiyalal

— Kreately.in (@KreatelyMedia) June 29, 2022

Bhagva Update, RB Pathak, BJP supporter Divyam Thakur and several other handles amplified the claim on Twitter.

Fact-check

A keyword search led us to an article by ETV Bharat. As per the report, various organizations staged demonstrations in protest of the murder of tailor Kanhaiya Lal. As the crowd became rowdy, the police made attempts to control them. One of the youths from the mob attacked police constable Sandeep with a sword in which he was seriously injured. According to media reports, the situation in the area was tense following this incident. The police were only able to gain control of the crowd by using force.

We reached out to Rajsamand SP Sudhir Chaudhary to gather information on the matter. Refuting the viral claim, SP Sudhir Chaudhary said that the mob in which one of the youngsters attacked constable Sandeep was not led by the Muslim community. The mob was made up of local groups who opposed the killing. He revealed that 23 people have been arrested in the case so far.

The Rajasthan Police also refuted the viral claim via its official Twitter handle.

यह खबर सरासर झूठ है। इसमें गलत तथ्य प्रस्तुत किए गए हैं।

पुलिस कांस्टेबल संदीप पर हमला करने वाला आरोपी उसी के समुदाय से संबंधित है।

हमारी आपसे दरख्वास्त है फेक न्यूज फैलाने से बचें।#RajasthanPolice#StopFakeNews pic.twitter.com/cAPTnSXmU4

— Rajasthan Police (@PoliceRajasthan) June 29, 2022

After the main accused was apprehended, the Rajsamand SP informed us that in a joint operation on July 8, the Rajasthan Police and Gujarat Anti Terror Squad (ATS) arrested Mahavir and Shravan along with main accused Balveer, who attacked constable Sandeep. They were arrested from Vadodara in Gujarat.

Bhim Police Station SHO Gajendra Singh issued a statement on the development. Bhim is a town in Rajasthan’s Rajsamand district. “Some anti-social elements had entered Bhim with swords, petrol bottles and sticks. The police and administration chased them away, but Balveer, a man from the crowd, attacked Sandeep using a sword on his neck with the intention of killing him.”

The three accused were arrested from Limda in Vadodara’s Waghodia area, a Gujarat ATS official said.

To sum it up, right-wing propaganda website OpIndia falsely claimed that a police constable named Sandeep was attacked by a Muslim mob. When Rajasthan Police declared this news to be false, the outlet updated its article. BJP spokesperson Prashant Kumar Umrao and several social media accounts also falsely claimed that a mob attacked a police constable while protesting the arrest of Kanhaiya Lal’s killers. However, there have been no such demonstrations against the arrest of the killers. The people in the mob that attacked the police were not Muslims.