A disturbing incident was reported from Meerut where some sadhus were brutally beaten up by the crowd. A video from the incident is shared and it is claimed that the sadhus were disguised as Muslims.
A digital media platform named, Sudarshan News claimed, ” Public caught 3 people roaming around in Meerut disguised as sadhus During interrogation, he gave his name as Sohan, but his Aadhar card showed him as “Mohd. Shamim”. “Mohammad Shamim” along with his gang used to do recce of Hindu localities wearing saffron clothes The public also accused the three of stealing a child” (Translated into English)
This account has been a frequent offender of Fake news on social media. Following their footsteps, other users have also shared similar claims.
Fact Check
We investigation the widely shared claim. During the process, we found the media reports highlighting the facts of the incident. According to Amar Ujala’s report, Inspector Lisadi Gate Jitendra Singh informed that local people and local councilor Abhinav Arora brought the three sadhus. People said that the sadhus were fake. But on the investigation, all three sadhus were found to be from the Nath community.
Furthermore, it informed the names of the three are Gaurav, Gopi, and Sunil. All three sadhus are residents of Darwamajiri village, Thana Sadar, Yamunanagar, Haryana. The village head and the local police have confirmed their identity. All three sadhus travel around to earn their livelihood. None of the three has any criminal history.
Besides media reports, Meerut police also informed about the reality of the incident from their official X handle. They informed that the information about hostage-taking and beating was false. Police reached the spot and brought the three sadhus to the police station. On inquiry, it was found that all three are residents of Yamunanagar (Haryana) and are sadhus/fakirs who belong to the Nath community and do the work of begging.
Conclusion
Thus, the viral claim is misleading. The sadhus were not disguised as Muslims nor were they child kidnappers, as claimed. The Meerut Police investigation found that all three sadhus—Gaurav, Gopi, and Sunil—are Hindus from the Nath community.
DFRAC Analysis: Misleading
