Fact Check: Video Claiming Comedian Munawar Faruqui Beaten Outside Court Premises Goes Viral
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India, 8 Jan 2021 12:29 PM GMT | Updated 8 Jan 2021 12:33 PM GMT
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A video of a man getting beaten in presence of police has gone viral with a false claim that the man in the video is Munawar Faruqui.
A video is viral on social media in which a man is being thrashed in front of police. Many people are sharing the video with the claim that the man being beaten in the video is stand-up comedian Munawar Faruqui. The video is being shared in the context of the recent arrest of Munawar Faruqui for allegedly insulting Hindu gods and violating Covid-19 protocol at a New Year event.
People are sharing the video with different captions. A Facebook user Afzal Hussain shared the video with the caption, "Comedian Munawar Faruqui, he was abused and beaten up in the presence of Indore Police in court premise."
Another Facebook user, Sunny Singh shared the video with the caption, "2 rs Stand-up Comedian Munawar Faruqui was beaten by Hindu Shers for insulting Hindu Gods. He made cheap comments on Bhagwan Shree Ram and Sita Maa. Well done Hindu Sena, Finally Our Boys played well."
Claim:
The man getting beaten in the viral video is Munawar Faruqui.
Fact Check:
The Logical Indian closely observed the video and found the man in the viral image is not Munawar Faruqui.
We also searched with the keyword, 'Munawar Faruqui beaten' and found an article published by NDTV India on January 2, 2021. The article had the screenshot of the video and reported that a friend of Munawar Faruqui was beaten in the court premises. The report said: Some people thrashed a friend of Munawar Faruqui thinking it to be him. The report identified the man as Sadakat.
Hussain Haidry, a poet and lyricist, also tweeted the same video and identified the man as Sadakat Khan, a friend of Munawar Faruqui.
Update: This guy who is getting slapped, his name is Sadakat Khan. https://t.co/JJfOyGUmH1
— Hussain Haidry (@hussainhaidry) January 3, 2021
He's a friend of Munawar, works as a supervisor in a construction company in Bombay. He had gone to meet him in the court for hearing as his maternal home is in Indore, MP, and has gotten arrested too. Most reports have accidentally missed this, hence updating.
— Hussain Haidry (@hussainhaidry) January 3, 2021
The Quint contacted Asad Warsi, a member of Faruqui's lawyer's team, who confirmed that the man seen in the video is not Faruqui but his friend Sadakat Khan.
The Quint also quoted CSP-Central Kotwali BPS Parihar, who said, "Munawar Faruqui was not beaten up in the presence of police officers."
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