Stones pelted, shops vandalized and houses were burned down as the national capital witnessed one of the most violent communal clashes in recent years.
With at least 42 people dead and over 350 injured, there have been reports and heart-wrenching visuals of journalists being heckled, police personnel killed and men being brutally hit with sticks by the rioters.
One of the alarming and chilling visuals was of a man donning a red t-shirt armed with a country-made pistol approaching a policeman, firing aimlessly to intimidate the cop who stood his ground in Delhi’s Jaffrabad area when two groups of people clashed here on February 24.
The man was later reportedly identified as Mohammad Shahrukh from Delhi’s Shahdara district and reports of him being arrested by the Police started making rounds on social media.
Head Constable Deepak Dahiya of Delhi Police didn’t move an inch as Shahrukh Mohammad pointed his gun on Deepak’s nose and reportedly said, “Hat Ja. Nahi toh Goli Chala Dunga”.Shahrukh wasn’t joking, he fired eight rounds from his pistol that day.Shahrukh is in police custodypic.twitter.com/BIeEqy95Rt
Killer Mohammad Shahrukh@JavedakhtarjaduSir don’t be blind to reality. Stop being biased.https://t.co/aWLicZuT8G
Later, a collage of images started being circulated on social media.
The collage had five images where along with the image of the Jaffrabad shooter, four other pictures were picked from the Facebook profile of a person named Anurag D Mishra.
Claims
Many social media users shared the collage with the images of Anurag Mishra and the Jaffrabad shooter with a caption written in Hindi when translated read, “Shahrukh turned out to be Anurag Mishra. Look at the Islamophobia of police and media. What a propaganda it was!”
If he was#Shahrukhwud had arrested long back even encounter was not ruled out but he is#AnuragMishrathats y he cud do#firinghving@DelhiPoliceby his side n also let free to go flee#chronologysamajhiye#DelhiGenocide2020#GodiMedia#BJPtrying its best to divert on#Tahirpic.twitter.com/rUp2er2KHL
Fact-Check:
The shooter who opened fire at the policeman when protestors for and against the Citizenship (Amendment) Act clashed in North Delhi was identified as Mohammad Shahrukh.
According to the news agency ANI, Shahrukh who opened fire at the police during violence in Jaffrabad was identified and detained by the Delhi Police.
33-year-old Shahrukh was reported to be a resident of Shahdara district in Delhi.
On the other hand, Anurag Mishra whose images are being circulated along with Shahrukh’s is an actor by profession and lives in Mumbai.
The Logical Indianspoke to Mishra where he revealed that he received a call from a Delhi journalist who tried to make him aware of the situation developing on social media where his pictures from his social media accounts were being used to spread misinformation.
On being informed by his friends and family, the actor examined the news reports and noted the organizations which peddled the fake information that would jeopardize his life.
Mishra also said that he has been in Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh since February 18 to attend a film festival and taking the matter in his hand has filed an official complaint at Sigra Police Station.
He further said that he has demanded strict action against the people who used his photographs to spread false information.
Earlier in the day, Mishra had taken to Facebook to post a video where he can be seen warning people against unauthorized use of his photographs to peddle fake news.
There are a few peculiar aspects of this incident that should be considered:
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