Kedarnath pilgrims assaulted by mule operators: Video viral with false communal claim, all accused Hindu

A video is viral on social media with the claim that in Kedarnath a few horse and mule operators had assaulted some devotees with sticks. The users also claimed that these operators belonged to the Muslim community. Some even termed the incident ‘Muslim terror in Kedarnath’ and some others called it ‘Jihadi terror’.

Twitter user Anoop Kumar Singh (@rashtrawadi_aks) shared the above-mentioned video on June 13. The caption in Hindi can be translated as: “Shameful/Sad – Muslim terror in Kedarnath. Chardham tourists in Kedarnath were thrashed by Muslim horse and mule operators. This incident occurred in Ghoda Padav/Bhimbali area where the devotees were beaten with sticks 😡 #kedarnath #Uttarakhand”. The tweet has received over 19,000 views and has been retweeted over 300 times. He later deleted the tweet. (Archive)

Atul °Kushwaha🇮🇳 (@RealAtulsay), who is subscribed to Twitter Blue and according to his bio is an advocate and engineer, shared the same video with a similar claim. He used the term ‘Jihadi’ to connect this incident to the Muslim community. The tweet was later deleted. (Archive)

Several other social media users, including @Sarvesh38453373, @ManojSr60583090, @Mukeshk_1, shared the video on Facebook and Twitter with similar claims.

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Fact Check

Most of the social media users had tagged the Uttarakhand police on their posts asking them to take action in this matter. We looked for any response from the official Twitter handle of the Uttarakhand police and found comments from them under most of the viral tweets that had tagged them.

We came across a comment from Uttarakhand police under Anoop Kumar Singh’s tweet. The comment in Hindi said, “A case has been registered in Kotwali Sonprayag against the horse and mule operators who are accused of assaulting the Kedarnath Char Dham devotees, all the accused have been arrested.” They shared this message by quote tweeting their official tweet announcing the news of the arrest of the accused.

श्री केदारनाथ धाम पैदल मार्ग पर दिल्ली निवासी श्रद्धालुओं के साथ मारपीट करने वाले घोड़ा खच्चर संचालकों के विरुद्ध @RudraprayagPol द्वारा कोतवाली सोनप्रयाग में मुकदमा पंजीकृत कर घटना में शामिल अभियुक्तों को गिरफ्तार किया गया।#UttarakhandPolice #SurakshitCharDhamYatra pic.twitter.com/riIkFBccjw

— उत्तराखण्ड पुलिस – Uttarakhand Police (@uttarakhandcops) June 13, 2023

Under the same tweet, the Uttarakhand police added a comment mentioning the names of the accused — Ankit Singh, Santosh Kumar and Rohit Kumar, both residents of the village Aso, Jaikandi in Rudraprayag and Gautam, a resident of Jakhal Bhardar, Rudraprayag. Other than the four mentioned, a minor was also involved in the matter whose case is being handled separately.

Alt News also reached out to DSP Rudraprayag Prabodh Kumar Ghildiyal to confirm the above information. He said, “There is no communal angle in this matter. The tourists and the local horse and mule operators got into a scuffle on the subject of horses only. Both the devotees and the accused are Hindu. Police took immediate action in the matter by registering a case against the operators and arresting them. The accused are local residents of the area.”

He also made a statement addressing the viral posts on social media. The video was tweeted by the official handle of Rudraprayag police.

We also came across a detailed Facebook post from the Uttarakhand police with all the details of the case, it mentioned that the incident occurred on June 10 when the complainant Tanuka Poundar, a resident of Mahipalpur, Delhi, was on her way from Gaurikund to Kedarnath. Near the Bhimbali bridge she found a horse in a bad state. She asked the passers-by for help but no one came up when she noticed that a person was harassing other animals there and asked them why they were doing so. During the exchange, 4-5 horse and mule operators showed up on the spot and started assaulting her and others who tried to help her.

On June 14, SP Rudraprayag Vishakha Ashok Bhadane also shared the news of the arrest of the accused via a video speech.

Therefore, the claims that the accused who assaulted the Char Dharm Yatra devotees belong to the Muslim community are false. All the accused are Hindu and there is no communal angle to this matter.