A message warning people of a massive ‘Show of Strength’ rally organised by the Muslim community in Delhi is floating on social media. The warning claims that 2-4 lakh members of the Muslim community have gathered near Talkatora stadium and blocked roads in Central Delhi. It alerts people to stay safe.
THIS IS THE LEVEL OF HATRED THIS GOVT IS CREATING THAT PEOPLE ARE SENDING OUT SUCH XENOPHOBIC MESSAGES
Pls, to all……..
Posted by Jitamber Singh Bedi on Tuesday, 6 August 2019
The full message reads – “Pls, to all….. All along from Columbus school, to Shankar road on either side of the road 2 lines of Buses from various villages of UP, Haryana are parked… More then 2/4 laks Muslims are assembling around Talkatora Stadium.. for “” MUSLIM EKTA SOLITITARY SHOW OF STRENGTH “”… …. also with 2/3 laks Muslims assembling & situation in J&K as it it… with house arrest of Mehoboba, Shah, Abdullah & all Institutes closed….. U never know…. So, pls BE CAREFUL & DONT VENTURE OUT to Central Delhi….. as a safety measure.”
The warning has also been circulated on WhatsApp along with a video.
The video can be watched below.
Protest against mob lynchings, NOT ‘Show of Strength’ rally
Alt News contacted Delhi police to enquire if a ‘Muslim Ekta Show of Strength’ rally was organised near Talkatora stadium. The police informed that no such procession was taken out but a protest against mob lynchings was held on August 5 near the stadium.
Taking this as a hint, we looked for news reports with specific keywords and found that Jamiat Ulama-i-Hind had organised ‘Aman Ekta Sammelan’ at Talkatora stadium to protest mob lynchings. According to a Times of India report, the rally was held the day after the government stripped Jammu and Kashmir of its special status by diluting Article 370. The protestors demanded the enactment of a stringent law against mob lynchings. The report furthered that leaders of other minority faiths also participated in the rally. The event was also reported by Business Standard, Caravan Daily and The Week.
Jamiat Ulama-i-Hind also provided details of the protest on its website.
The video
Alt News found several videos of ‘Aman Ekta Sammelan’ online. The photomontage below shows Jamiat Ulama-i-Hind flags visible in the viral video and protest videos on YouTube and Facebook.
Another clue which linked the viral video to the protest rally near Talkatora stadium is a signboard which we found upon watching the video in slow motion. The board reads – ‘Mandir Marg’ – which is an area barely a kilometre from the stadium.
While the event did cause traffic snarls in Central Delhi, it was not a ‘Show of Strength’ rally organised by members of the Mulsim community. The viral video represents a protest march organised by Jamiat Ulama-i-Hind on August 5 against mob lynchings.
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