A video showing a bulldozer demolishing some structures in an urban area is shared by the Pak-based handle on social media platform X(Twitter) with the claim that Indian authorities have destroyed hundreds of properties of innocent Muslims without any prior notice.

The INDOCOM Bureau, an account on X(Twitter), operated from Pakistan, shared this video and wrote: “Lucknow, #India-Indian authorities have demolished most of the properties belonging to Muslims. Hundreds of properties of innocent Muslims have been destroyed by Indian authorities without any prior notice”

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Fact-Check

To determine the reality of the shared video, the DFRAC team converted it into some keyframes and reverse-searched it on Google. Meanwhile, we found media reports from Hindustan Times and Amrit Vichar.

According to a media report by Hindustan Times published on 29 Feb 2024, 24 commercial establishments were demolished during an anti-encroachment drive of LDA and LMC in Akbar Nagar, Lucknow on the intervening night of Tuesday and Wednesday after the high court refused to grant relief to the owners who had constructed these structures.

Furthermore, the report mentioned: “Today, we have recovered the land from the encroachers. Most of these shops had underground basements and more than three-storey constructions. We will put the board of LMC property on this land soon,” said municipal commissioner Inderjeet Singh. The magnitude of unauthorized commercial establishments could be gauged from the fact that encroachments were covering a huge area totalling 5087 sqm. The current market value of this reclaimed land exceeds a whopping ₹100 crore”.

Another media report by the media Amrit Vichar from Feb 27, 2024, stated: ” On Tuesday, bulldozer of Lucknow Development Authority ran on 24 shops built illegally on Kukrail river and Bandhe in Akbar Nagar. After a long wait, the demolition process started as soon as the copy of the High Court order reached the officials at 4:30 pm”.

Conclusion

It is evident from DFRAC’s Fact-Check that the shared video shows the ongoing process of the anti-encroachment drive in Akbar Nagar, Lucknow. Hence, the claim of the Pak-based handle is false.

Analysis: Misleading