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RTO Officer Brutally Attacked In Punjab After Formation Of AAP Government? No, Video Viral With False Claim
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.
Punjab, 22 March 2022 12:20 PM 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.
BJP Delhi media head shared this video claiming that after the formation of the Aam Aadmi Party government in Punjab, a mob brutally thrashed the RTO officer. The Logical Indian Fact Check team verifies the viral claim.
As Aam Aadmi Party has taken over the governance of Punjab after winning the elections, a video is going viral on social media claiming that the "goonda raj" has started in Punjab. In 25 seconds long video, some people can be seen attacking a person with sticks on the highway. A man from the crowd can also be seen hitting the person on the head with a heavy stone. In the video clip, the attackers can be heard talking in Punjabi. While sharing the viral video, it is being claimed that after the formation of the Aam Aadmi Party government, a mob brutally thrashed the RTO officer.
[Trigger Warning: The Logical Indian has not embedded the video due to its graphic nature and strong language. The video link is here.]
BJP Delhi social media head Naveen Kumar Jindal who recently has been posting a lot of fake news, also shared this video with a similar claim. He later deleted the video. However the screenshot of his tweet can be seen below.
It is being widely shared on Facebook and Twitter with a similar claim.
Claim:
Viral video shows a mob thrashing the RTO officer after forming the Aam Aadmi Party government.
Fact Check:
The Logical Indian Fact Check team verified the viral claim and found it to be false. The viral video is from March 5, before the Punjab elections.
During the initial investigation, we found a user replied on Naveen Jindal tweet and called the video fake. The user tagged the official handle of Punjab Police and wrote, "BJP media head once again spreading fake news. Punjab Police should arrest them. This video has nothing to do with the formation of the Aam Aadmi Party government in Punjab. This viral video is from Hajipur (Hoshiarpur) in Punjab, where two factions clashed on March 5, 2022. The Twitter user has also attached a copy of the FIR along with his tweet.
Taking a hint from it, we did an open keyword search which led us to a report of Webkhabristan dated March 13, in which the still of the viral video can be seen. According to the report, the viral incident took place on March 5, 2022 in Hajipur police station area of Punjab. This is a case of fighting between two groups. An FIR has been registered against Diljit, Ajay Kumar, Bunty, Shanty and five unidentified persons under various sections in this regard.
We then contacted SHO Pankaj Sharma, Hajipur. While talking to The Logical Indian, he said, "This incident took place on March 5, 2022 in Hajipur police station area (Pulia road) of Punjab. There is no political angle involved in it. Also the victim is not the RTO officer. We have arrested 4 people so far in this case."
The Logical Indian accessed the FIR copy. According to it, Surinder Singh, son of Ravi Kumar, resident of Hinrakhedi police station of Bijnor district of UP, was passing through Kulian Lubana village in a Bolero, when Diljit Singh alias Kala, son of Milkha Singh, resident of Mahmudpur of Batala police station in Mukeria, attacked him. Diljit along with several others was in an Innova and his group assaulted Surinder and vandalized his car as well. One of them attacked on Surinder's head with a stone, due to which he fainted in a field. This FIR was lodged on behalf of Surinder Singh. Below you can see the screenshot of the FIR.
We spoke to Surinder Singh's brother. He said, "My brother came back to home 3 days ago. He work in a private mining company. On March 5, some people attacked him after a heated argument. He got several injuries but he is recovering well now. The incident has nothing to do with any political party."
Conclusion:
It is evident from our investigation that the video of people hitting a man in Punjab's Hajipur was shared on social media with the false claim that the incident happened after Aam Aadmi Party won the assembly elections. The viral incident is of March 5, while the election results were declared on March 10. Hajipur SHO also refuted the viral claim. Hence, the viral claim is false.
If you have any news that you believe needs to be fact-checked, please email us at factcheck@thelogicalindian.com or WhatsApp at 6364000343.
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