Amid the attacks against Indian-origin students in the US on the rise, a harrowing video is going viral on X(Twitter) depicting an injured Indian-origin student, ‘Syed Mazahir Ali’ narrating his ordeal, asking for help. The video has been shared on X with the claim that Ali was attacked by Hindus in Chicago after he refused to chant Jai Shree Ram.

An account named The INDOCOM Bureau shared the victim’s video on X(Twitter) and claimed: ” 𝐈𝐧𝐝𝐢𝐚𝐧 𝐌𝐮𝐬𝐥𝐢𝐦𝐬 𝐀𝐫𝐞 𝐍𝐨𝐭 𝐄𝐯𝐞𝐧 𝐒𝐚𝐟𝐞 𝐈𝐧 𝐀𝐦𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐜𝐚, An Indian Muslim student named ‘Syed Mazahir Ali’ was brutally attacked by Hindus in North Campbell, Chicago, just near his apartment, after he refused to chant the Hindu slogan ‘Jai Shree Ram'”.

The archive version can be seen here.

Fact-Check

The DFRAC team investigated the above viral video. We found that the victim simply narrated his ordeal. He was brutally beaten by four attackers who snatched his mobile phone also. No such communal angle had been suggested by the victim in the viral video.   

In addition to this, media outlets such as Indian Express, Firstpost and Livemint also reported this incident.

According to the media report by Indian Express, Syed Mazahir Ali, an Indian-origin student, was allegedly attacked in the United States. In a video shared widely on social media, Mazahir Ali can be heard asking for help, saying that he was assaulted and robbed by four people who “kicked and punched” him. Further, the report mentioned: “According to PTI reports, the Indian consulate in Chicago has intervened, collaborating with local authorities to investigate the attack”.

Moreover, media reports from Livemintand Firstpost also stated similar facts about this incident.

Conclusion

It is clear from DFRAC’s Fact-Check that the viral video shared with the claim that Hindus attacked Ali after he refused to chant Jai Shree Ram is misleading as no communal angle has been reported in this incident.

DFRAC Analysis: Misleading