A video showing a crowd assaulting some individuals is going viral on social media. Users are sharing this video with the claim that it is from Aligarh and giving it a caste-related angle, alleging that Dalits who attended a bhandara (community feast) organized by the Yadav community were beaten up.
Sharing the video, a user named Mr. Tyagi wrote: Yadavs were organizing a bhandara, and some Dalits came to eat. The Dalits insisted that they would eat at the Yadavs’ bhandara and then drink water from the Thakurs’ well. The Yadavs said, ‘It is a bhandara; if you want to eat peacefully, then eat, otherwise leave.’ The Dalits replied, ‘We will eat as a matter of right; we consider the Thakurs’ well and the Yadavs’ bhandara as ours, and we make no distinction between the two.’ That was it—the Yadavs chased and beat them… Aligarh. (English Translation)
The video has also been shared by several other users with similar claims, which can be seen here.
Fact Check:
The DFRAC team found during its investigation that the claim being made with the viral video is misleading. The video actually shows a clash during a wedding ceremony in Mohreni village in the Iglas area of Aligarh. It was posted on several social media platforms on April 3. A local journalist from Aligarh, Rishi Chaudhary, shared the video, stating: “Violent clash at a wedding. A wedding turned into a battlefield in Mohreni village, Iglas, Aligarh; attack with sharp-edged weapons; many injured, #aligarhpolice.”(English Translation)
Additionally, the video has been shared by others as well, identifying it as footage of a brawl at a wedding ceremony in Mohreni village, Iglas, Aligarh. According to a media report, Rahman, a resident of Mohreni village, had invited Surendra Kumar by giving him a wedding card. Subsequently, the assault on Surendra and his companion was allegedly carried out as planned. The report also includes an interview with Surendra Kumar’s son.
For further verification, the team contacted local journalist Rishi Chaudhary, who covered the incident. He confirmed that the video shows Surendra Kumar being assaulted at a wedding ceremony and dismissed the viral claims that Dalits were beaten at a Yadav community feast as false.
Whereas Aligarh Police also refute the viral claim.
Conclusion:
DFRAC’s fact check clarifies that the viral video depicts a physical altercation during a wedding ceremony in Mohreni village, located in the Iglas area of Aligarh. The footage is being shared with the misleading claim that Dalits were beaten at a bhandara organized by the Yadav community.
