Haldwani violence: Video of scuffle in MP falsely shared with communal slurs

by Oishani Bhattacharya

A video of a policeman being surrounded and heckled by a mob is being widely shared on social media with the claim that the clip is from Haldwani, Uttarakhand and the cop is ‘SHO Anand’.

This video is being shared against the backdrop of the recent violence in Haldwani after the demolition of a mosque and madrasa in Banbhoolpoora. Six people have lost their lives and at least 60 have been injured. As many as 30 people have been arrested.

Commenting on a tweet related to the the violence, premium subscribed X (formerly Twitter) user Alok (@alokdubey1408) shared the aforementioned viral video with the caption: “SHO Anand Singh Thakur.. “I have come alone.. I’m standing alone. Put a hand on me…🇮🇳👌 #Haldwani”. The tweet has received over 78,000 views and has been retweeted over 200 times. (Archive)

Another X user, Aditya Raj (@adityaraj3102), shared the same video with a similar claim related to the viral clip. The user also mentioned in the caption that a ‘shoot at sight’ order had been announced against people from the Muslim community. (Archive)

Fact Check

We noticed that the opening frame of the viral clip carried a text that said: “Muslim mob surrounded police station in Damoh, Madhya Pradesh”.

Taking a hint from the above, we ran a relevant keyword search, which led us to a YouTube video posted by the Times of India on February 6. The video carried the viral clip. The title said: “Damoh cop surrounded by Muslim mob”. The description of the video mentions the name of the cop as mentioned in the viral clips, Shri Anand Singh Thakur. The clip showcases a verbal altercation between Anand Singh Thakur with a man present in the mob who threatens to chop off the cops’ hands.

As per a news report by The Print, a scuffle broke out between a tailor and individuals belonging to a community over stitching clothes, which led members of the other community to stage a protest in front of a police station in MP’s Damoh city.

In their report related to the incident, Indian Express quoted Kotwali police station in-charge Anand Singh as saying: “A petty dispute occurred on Saturday between one Lallu Sharma and tailor Ansar Khan over the delivery of stitched clothes on time. Sharma and his associates misbehaved with one Hafiz (a cleric) when he intervened. Soon, a large number of people gathered at the police station demanding to arrest and bulldoze the house of the accused (who misbehaved with the cleric) within two hours”.

The man from the mob who called for violence against the cops if no action was taken within 24 hours was identified to be Akram Khan Rain. Akram and two others were soon detained by the MP police and SP Sunil Tiwari recommended invoking the National Security Act on Akram. The Madhya Pradesh chief minister ordered an investigation into the matter on February 5 when the viral video surfaced.

We also came across a video statement given by SHO Anand Singh on the matter.

From the above findings, it is clear that the viral video is not related to the violence that broke out in Haldwani. The clip is from Madhya Pradesh and of an unrelated incident that took place in the first week of February.

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