Viral video: Boy tears up Indian flag and says “Pakka Musalman Hoon”. What’s the truth?

A video of a boy tearing the Indian flag and saying, “Pakka Musalman hoon” is being circulated widely on social media. A Twitter handle, @AnuMishraBJP , posted the video stating, “भारत के राष्ट्रीय ध्वज को फाड़ के फेंक दिया इस लड़के ने कह रहा है…. कि “पक्का मुसलमान हूँ” ये मानसिकता कहाँ से पैदा हो रही है? @sardanarohit @KapilMishra_IND @TajinderBagga” (Tearing and throwing away the national flag of India, this boy is saying that … “I am a true Muslim” where is this mentality being born? -Translated). It has been retweeted more than 2100 times and ‘liked’ more than 2300 times.

भारत के राष्ट्रीय ध्वज को फाड़ के फेंक दिया इस लड़के ने कह रहा है….
कि “पक्का मुसलमान हूँ”
ये मानसिकता कहाँ से पैदा हो रही है?@sardanarohit@KapilMishra_IND@TajinderBaggapic.twitter.com/AwFBDp0LsW

— Rohit Sardana (@AnuMishraBJP) August 20, 2018

Another variant of the video with subtitles was posted by a Twitter user @pokerhash and has been viewed more than 20,000 times. In this video, people can be seen beating and abusing the boy while making him apologise for the act.

When “Pakka Musalman” met “Sachche Desh Bhakt” 😍😍😍 pic.twitter.com/VdAqtzhFRi

— Shashaaa (@pokershash) August 21, 2018

Suresh Chavhanke, CMD and Editor-in-Chief of Sudarshan News, has also tweeted a longer version of the video in which the boy is abused, made to apologise and forced to say “Pakka Hindu hoon”. The tweet has received more than 1200 retweets and more than 2200 ‘likes’.

पक्का मुसलमान हूँ इसलिए तिरंगा फाड़ के फेंकने वाला “स्वामी अग्निवेश” संस्कार होते ही #भारत_माता_की_जय बोल कर नारे देने लगा। लातों के भूत बातों से नहीं मानते। अब कोई कहेगा कि ये तो #Lynching है पर कोई यह भी बताए कि संविधान इस को कैसे रोक सकता है? क़ानून तो इनको रोकने में विफल है ! pic.twitter.com/MvVgV3UcSL

— Suresh Chavhanke STV (@SureshChavhanke) August 21, 2018

A Facebook user, S.K. Choudhary also shared the above two videos, which have been viewed more than 3 lakh times.

Dainik Bharat, a fake news website, had also posted an article in relation to this issue on August 20,2018.

What is the truth?

This incident is from Surat, Gujarat. An article published by The Times of India on August 20, 2018, stated, “A young boy, who claimed to be from minority community, is seen tearing a paper tricolor in the video. Police traced the boy and another teenager from Amroli and called them to police station along with their family members.”

In a statement given to Alt News, G.A. Patel, Police Inspector, Amroli police station(Surat) clarified, “Both the teenagers are friends and belong to the Hindu community. The boys have also apologised for acting childishly.”

As it turns out, two boys from the Hindu community, as part of a prank, made a video of themselves tearing the Indian flag and proclaimed that they are from the Muslim community. The video has been widely shared, which is not surprising considering the provocative nature of the content. Teenagers indulging in such divisive pranks is a reflection of the religious polarisation in the Indian society.