Lockdown violation video viral with false communal narrative

Many misleading and inaccurate videos and pictures related to coronavirus are being spread on social media. Some misleading claims about spreading the infection of this virus and the attempt to spread communal hatred among people is also become a new trend on social forums. One such video where 2 policemen are seen beating a person with sticks is viral on social media with the claim that this video is from Bhagat Singh Colony of Dehradun where 6 positive coronavirus patients have been found. The man was beaten up for coming out of the mosque and spitting on the gate of people’s houses in order to spread coronavirus. 

The post states that “6 corona positive cases were found in Dehradun’s Bhagat Singh Colony. The colony has been sealed now. The man was beaten up by police for coming out of the mosque and spitting over the door handles of other’s houses.”

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We started the investigation by looking closely at the above video where we saw the jeep of Uttarakhand Police. We did not find any reliable news after searching the news related to this video.

Since Dehradun’s Bhagat Singh Colony is mentioned in the claim, we searched this place on Google by Google search and found that Bhagat Singh Colony is located in Dehradun, which comes under the Raipur Police Station area.

We then contacted Shweta Chaubey, SP Dehradun in this regard; she told us that “this video is being circulated on social media with a false claim.” The video is not from Bhagat Singh Colony in Dehradun but from the Clement Town area where the person appearing in the video, a local citizen, had violated the lockdown in the early days of lockdown implementation.

The Clement Town Police had detained him after receiving complaints from the people residing in that colony. This incident is from 24th–25th March. There is no communal issue associated with this incident, nor was he spitting at the gate of people’s homes. A case has also been registered against the person who spread this incorrect news on social media under IPC section 505 and section 188 in Raipur police station area. ”

From the clarification given by SP Shweta Choubey, it is clear that in this case an FIR has been registered against two different people in two different police stations. An FIR has been lodged against the person who violated the lockdown at the Clement Town police station and another FIR was lodged in Raipur police station against the persons who uploaded this fake video with false claims on social forums.

We contacted the Clement Town Police Station for more information on this case. Constable Manoj Negi, who was present there, told us that “this incident took place on 25th March, 2020, when this person was walking outside violating the lockdown, some people called the police.

This person was detained using force for not cooperating with the police. This person, named Usman, has been booked under IPC section 188 and section 51 of the Disaster Management Act (case number 34/2020). ” We contacted Constable Raghuveer Singh of Raipur police station for more information related to the person who spread this case with false claims on social forums. He told us that “no such incident had taken place in Bhagat Singh Colony, this area was sealed by the police after some positive cases. No one can go inside this area nor can anyone come outside. Bhagat Singh Colony has 3 positive coronavirus patients.

He also told us that on 14th April 2020, a person named Shailesh Chauhan was arrested for spreading this video on social media with a false claim under section 188, 505 (1) (c) of IPC and section 51 under Disaster Management  Act 2005. This person is a resident of Timli Mansingh area in Raipur. “

Conclusion: We found the above post wrong after checking the facts. Viral video is being spread on social media with false claims. The person shown in the video was actually violating the lockdown, due to which the police arrested him. This incident is related to Clement Town area of Dehradun.