Media Outlets Falsely Label Maulana Mohd Iqbal as ‘Terrorist’ Killed in Poonch
These claims are false, the man in the visuals lost his life due to cross-border shelling by Pakistan in Madrasa.
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News18 Hindi also shared this claim.
(Source: screenshot)
Zee News and News18 India later deleted the posts after getting called out by social media users.
What's the truth?: These claims are false, the man in the visuals lost his life due to cross-border shelling by Pakistan was an Indian national and a teacher in the local Madrasa.
Poonch police confirmed that Iqbal didn't have any terror links.
How did we find out the truth?: We performed a relevant keyword search on Google and came across a press release issued by District Police Poonch on 8 May.
It stated that claims shared by media channels and social media platforms about the death of Maulana Mohd Iqbal (46) are false.
It clarified that Iqbal lost his life due to cross-border shelling by Pakistan in Madrasa Zia-ul-Uloom, Poonch city and he was not a terrorist.
"Poonch Police strongly refutes by such false narrative. The deceased, Maulana Mohd Iqbal, was a respected religious figure in the local community and had no affiliation with any terror outfit. Misreporting of such sensitive incidents not only causes unnecessary panic but also disrespects the dignity of the deceased and the sentiments of the bereaved family," it added.
Maulana Mohammad Iqbal's family also shared a video demanding action against media who shared false claims.
They also clarified that he was a Mudarris and not a terrorist. They also added that he was killed by Pakistani shelling in Poonch.
The other 'Qari Abdul Malik': According to reports shared by Times of India and Mathrubhumi, during Operation Sindoor, terrorists namely Qari Abdul Malik, Khalid, and Mudassir, were killed when Indian forces targeted the terror group's headquarters in Muridke.
However, The Quint could not independently confirm this news.
Conclusion: Media outlets are sharing false claims and misidentifying a civilian, Maulana Mohammad Iqbal from Poonch, as a 'terrorist' killed by India.
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