Fact-Check: Truck Driver Involved in Hassan Accident Misidentified as a Muslim

Local police sources confirmed to The Quint that the driver was a Hindu named Bhuvenesh.

Fact-Check: The driver's name is Bhuvanesh and not Mohd Feroz, as claimed.

(Source: The Quint) 

(Trigger Warning: Distressing Visuals)

A video showing a brutal accident caused by a truck is going viral on social media.

• Those sharing the video claimed that the accident took place during a Ganesh Chaturthi celebration in Karnataka's Hassan district.

• Users also gave it a communal tone by claiming that the truck driver was a Muslim named Mohammad Feroz.

An archive of the post can be found here. 

(Source: X/Screenshot) 

(Archives of similar claims can be found here and here.)

Is the claim true?: No, the claim is false.

• News reports and local police sources confirmed to The Quint that the truck driver's name was Bhuvanesh, a Hindu and not Muslim.

What we found: At first, we divided the video into multiple screenshots and ran a Google reverse image search on some of them.

• It led us to a report by the Times of India from 13 September. It included frames similar to the viral video.

• The report stated that a tragic incident occurred in Mosale Hosalli village in Hassan when a tanker lorry rammed into a Ganpati procession on 12 September.

• The collision resulted in the deaths of at least nine individuals, including six villagers and three engineering students from the Government Engineering College, Mosalehosahalli. Over 20 others sustained injuries and were hospitalised.

Identity of the driver: The driver of the truck, identified as Bhuvanesh from Katte Belaguli village, reportedly lost control while attempting to avoid a biker. The driver was arrested and was in the Intensive Care Unit.

• The report did not mention anything about the driver being a Muslim or any other communal angle.

Here is a preview of the report.

(Source: Times of India/Screenshot) 

• Other English dailies such as The Hindu and the Indian Express also reported about this truck accident in Hassan.

• These reports also did not mention anything about the truck driver's religious identity and stated that his name was Bhuvanesh.

Police confirmation: We ran a relevant keyword search and found Hassan's Superintendent of Police, Sujeetha MS's statement about the accident.

• She stated that the driver's and the accused's name was Bhuvanesh.

• The SP also mentioned that the accident site was undergoing a forensic analysis to establish whether mechanical failures or other elements played a role.

• The Quint also contacted the Gorur police station, where the case was registered, and the police in charge confirmed to us that the accused was not Muslim and his name was Bhuvanesh.

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