In a recent tweet, Mohammed Zubair, co-founder of Alt News, addressed misinformation circulating on social media. He shared on X:
“A video from Bhopal of five miscreants brandishing swords is being falsely shared as Muslim youth abusing others and threatening law and order. We accessed the FIR and found that none of them was a Muslim.”
According to journalist Kinjal, BJP supporter Jitendra Pratap Singh had shared the video, captioning it: “These boys with swords belong to the Muslim community and are seen abusing others.” Another BJP supporter, Amitabh Chaudhary, also shared the same video, alleging that the individuals were Muslims.
To verify the truth, Alt News investigated and found that the accused individuals were not from the Muslim community. The report identified them as Nithish Jhatav alias Gajni, Ritik Valmiki, Jay Rao, Lucky Sen, and Akash Gaj. The incident took place in the TT Nagar area of Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh.
According to a Live Hindustan report published on January 1, the accused were involved in a scuffle a few days prior. They had damaged a car, demanded ₹5,000 from another party, and brandished swords while hurling abuses. The police later arrested the individuals and conducted a public parade as a disciplinary measure. In a video that surfaced online, the accused were made to declare: “Aaj ke baad, hum video bhi nahi banwaenge aur chhuri-tawarein bhi nahi chalayenge” (From now on, we won’t make videos or use knives and swords).
Alt News highlighted how right-wing users falsely gave the incident a communal angle. The fact-check confirmed that the individuals involved were not Muslims and condemned the spread of misinformation to incite communal tension.
