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Bulandshahr Blast: False Communal Spin Given To Massive Explosion In Uttar Pradesh
Writer: Jakir Hassan
A journalist at heart loves the in-depth work of reporting, writing, editing, research, and data analysis. A digital and social media enthusiast.
Uttar Pradesh, 3 April 2023 11:03 AM GMT
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As the founding editor, Bharat had been heading the newsroom during the formation years of the organization and worked towards editorial policies, conceptualizing and designing campaign strategies and collaborations. He believes that through the use of digital media, one could engage the millennial's in rational conversations about pertinent social issues, provoking them to think and bring a behavioral change accordingly.
Creatives : Jakir Hassan
A journalist at heart loves the in-depth work of reporting, writing, editing, research, and data analysis. A digital and social media enthusiast.
The house where the blast took place belongs to a man named Satish, who had given the house on rent to Rajkumar, the owner of M/S Air Star Traders. No communal angle was involved in this case.
A set of videos showing a massive explosion in Bulandshahr, Uttar Pradesh, has been widely circulated by media outlets. The viral videos have been shared with the claim alleging that the blast occurred at Mohammad Shafiq's house, where several people died.
Five people, including a five-year-old child, were killed in a massive blast in a two-storey building on a farm near Uttar Pradesh’s Bulandshahr city. Reportedly, as per Uttar Pradesh police, the blast was caused due to the presence of chemicals in the building.
Claim:
The set of videos shows differing scenes of destruction caused by an explosion. One of the videos shows a plume of smoke rising into the air, and the second shows what appears to be a figure lying amongst the debris. The third video shows the destruction left behind as a field continues to smoke and smolder following the explosion.
Sudarshan News shared the visuals with the claim, “UP's Bulandshahr tremendous blast, 4 killed. Blast in the house of Mohammad Shafiq, who lives near the mosque. Chemical-filled drums were recovered from the home. Nearby houses were also razed to the ground, and the bodies of the dead were scattered far and wide.”
Jitendra Pratap Singh, who describes himself as a journalist with Sudarshan News, shared the video with the claim, “Massive blast in UP's Bulandshahr, 4 killed. Blast in Mohammad Shafiq's house near the mosque. Drums filled with chemicals were recovered from the house. The houses nearby also disturbed. The pieces of the bodies of the dead were scattered far and wide.”
Media outlet The New Indian posted the same video with a similar claim.
Other users shared the video with similar claims.
Fact Check:
We conducted a keyword search with the terms ‘Bulandshahr blast’ and came across a report published by Times of India on April 2, 2023, titled, ‘Bulandshahr blast site was operating illegal firecracker unit: Probe’.
The Times of India report noted that as per police investigation, the residential building was given on rent to a firecracker trader named Raj Kumar, who was illegally manufacturing crackers.
“A police team raided two locations in the city, including Kumar's house, from where a large consignment of chemicals used in the manufacturing of firecrackers was seized,” the Times of India report noted.
As per the TOI report, SSP Shlok Kumar noted that an FIR had been filed against Kumar and his two brothers, Vinod, who died in the blast, and Pramod, who has been taken into police custody. The FIR has been filed under relevant sections of the Explosives Act, IPC sections 304 (culpable homicide), 285 (negligent conduct with respect to fire or combustible matter), 265 (fraudulent use of false weight or matter) and 269 (release of obnoxious matter into the environment).
We also came across a report by Dainik Bhaskar, which noted that, per police investigation, the destroyed building and the land on which it is constructed, belong to a person named Satish.
A person named Rajkumar had taken his house on rent. As per the Dainik Bhaskar report, from the six people killed in the incident, three were from the Hindu community, namely Abhishek, Chandrapal, and Vinod. Meanwhile, two persons were from the Muslim community, namely, Rais and his five-year-old son Ahad. A woman's head was also recovered from the spot.
The Dainik Bhaskar report added that Rajkumar had been arrested after this incident along with his brother Pramod.
We also came across a tweet published on April 1, 2023, by Bulandshahr Police in reply to the tweet by Sudarshan News. The tweet reads, “Please do not spread misleading news without knowing the facts.”
Attached to the thread, we found a media byte by Shlok Kumar, Senior Superintendent of Police regarding the explosion in the house built in the middle of the fields within the limits of Police Station Kotwali Nagar area.
Bulandshahr's SSP Shlok Kumar informed in his media byte that some documents were found at the explosion site related to M/S Air Star Traders company which is registered under the name of a person named Rajkumar.
The police were informed from the GST number that Rajkumar had licenses for chemical dealing. Based on this information, the police also raided the house of the company's owner and recovered some goods from there. The police have organized an SIT to investigate the matter.
After another keyword search, with the keywords ‘Rajkumar’ and ‘Air Star Traders’, we came across a result on the website of IndiaMart. It contained details regarding the company, such as its products, including several chemicals and firecrackers. The name of a person named Rajkumar is listed in the contact details.
Image Credit: Air Star Traders
Conclusion:
We found the claim made by several media outlets and social media users that a person from the Muslim community was responsible for the blast in Bulandshahr was false. The house where the blast took place belongs to a man named Satish, who had given the house on rent to Rajkumar, the owner of M/S Air Star Traders. The incident doesn’t have a communal angle.
If you have any news that you believe needs to be fact-checked, please email us at factcheck@thelogicalindian.com or WhatsApp at 6364000343.
Also Read: Does This Video Show A Communal Clash In Delhi Between School Students? No, Viral Claim Is False
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