A video is going viral on social media platforms purportedly showing two young men demolishing two tomb shrines by using hammers in the Amit Gram area of Rishikesh. Social media users are sharing this video and claiming that it is being done to spread communal hatred in society.
A user by the name of Ars Lan shared a video and wrote: “People of Hindu organization hammering another tomb due to communal hatred in Rishikesh… Where is our country going today?”
The video is shared by several users making similar claims.
FACT CHECK
To verify the claims made through viral video, the DFRAC team converted the viral video into keyframes and reverse-searched them on Google. Meanwhile, the team found a video uploaded on India TV’s YouTube channel disclosing the cause of Mazars’ destruction in Rishikesh.
According to India TV’s video, several mazars have been demolished as part of an anti-encroachment drive which is being conducted in different areas of Rishikesh and Dehradun including Uttarakhand.
Furthermore, the team found some reports from Dainik Jagran and India Today citing the same reason.
News Website Jagran published a news article with the headline: “Two Mazars have been razed Rishikesh and Case registered”. In this news, Jagran mentions: “Reportedly, an anti-encroachment drive is being carried out in different parts of the state by, and several ‘Mazars’ have been demolished as part of the drive”.
Moreover, According to a news published by India Today, “An anti-encroachment drive is currently underway in different parts of the state and several Mazars have been demolished as part of the exercise. Rishikesh Kotwali SHO Khushi Ram Pandey said a case under section 505 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) has been lodged against unidentified people in connection with the incident”.
Conclusion
DFRAC’s Fact-Check proves that the claim associated with the video stating Mazars have been demolished to spread communal hatred is false. An anti-encroachment drive is being carried out in different parts of Uttarakhand.
