Fact-Check: Video related to ruckus between two gangs falsely linked to communal spin

A video showing a youth being severely beaten in a rural area has been widely shared on the social media platform X. Users sharing this video, have claimed that a Dalit youth has been brutally attacked in Meerut by linking to a communal spin.

A user named Satya Azad shared this video on X and wrote: “The brutal attack on a Dalit youth in Meerut is highly condemnable. Caste discrimination and violence work to break the fabric of society. We request @meerutpolice to take strict action against the accused and provide justice to the victim” (Translated from Hindi)

Apart from this, several users shared this video and made similar claims. The preview can be seen here and here.

Fact-Check

In the probe, the DFRAC team found that the video has been misrepresented on X

We reverse-searched the keyframes generated from the viral video and came across a report by Dainik Bhaskar published two days back.
The report carrying the similar screengrabs from the viral video, stated that a dispute has emerged between two gangs where a Lodhi gang kidnapped Vinay of the Fatte gang and thrashed him in a jungle of the Bajot village.

Upon investigating further, we discovered a report by NBT that mentioned the statement of SP City Ayush Vikram Singh who said that Vinay was a resident of Rithani village of Partapur police station area and he had enmity with these accused from before. It is being told that even before this, there have been clashes between the two gangs many times and a case has also been registered in this regard.

Moreover, we also found a byte by a police official on the official X handle of Meerut Police, clarifying that the victim and the culprit belonged to the same community.

Clearly, no communal angle has been found in this incident.

Conclusion

It is evident from DFRAC’s fact-check that the viral video has been misleadingly shared on X. In reality, this video is related to the conflict between two gangs in Meerut. In addition, the victim and the culprit belonged to same community.
Analysis: Misleading