“ये कौनसा धर्म है भाया जिसने एक मासूम बच्चे की बली चढ़ा दी और सारे लोग खुशियां मना रहे हैं sayad ye sab log musalman lagte he,” is a message viral on Facebook. It claims that a boy was sacrificed as per a religious tradition and suggests that the ones behind the ritual were Muslims. One a Facebook page ‘I am with Rvish kumar NDTV’, the video has attracted 3,600 shares.

Incidentally, the clip has also been circulated with a ‘love jihad’ angle.

It has been shared by several users on the platform.

VIRAL SINCE LAST YEAR

A set of photos depicting the same event were circulated in October 2018 captioned as, “कृपया शेयर करें, और अन्धविश्वास मुक्त भारत बनाने में सहयोग करें (Please share and help create a superstition-free India).” The claim suggested that a young boy in Rajasthan’s Bhilwara was beheaded and offered as a sacrifice as part of a ritual. From a Facebook page impersonating journalist Abhay Dubey, the post had been shared over 2,600 times.

A video of the alleged incident was also widely circulated, with the claims viral on both Facebook and Twitter.

BOY NOT SACRIFICED

The narrative used to circulate the visuals is false. A statement put out by Rajasthan police both Facebook and Twitter on October last year said – “A video of a boy sacrificed in Bhilwara, meant for entertainment purposes, is being shared by giving it a superstitious narrative on social media in order to mislead people. In reality, this a magic show which is held every year during Navratri. The drama that takes place in village Khakhla is being circulated with a false narrative. (translated)”

Bhilwara police also put out a similar statement and tweeted the image of the boy who can be seen in the viral photographs. The boy is alive and well.

Visuals of a magic show held in a village in Rajasthan were attempted to be communalised, implicating the Muslim community for human sacrifice.

[This article was first published on October 20, 2018.]

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About the Author

Pooja Chaudhuri is a senior editor at Alt News.