Several social media users shared posts demanding justice for Shiva Gurjar, who was killed over an argument at a pan shop in Delhi's Naraina on Friday, 18 March 2022.
While sharing media related to Gurjar's death, several posts have claimed that he was attacked and killed by a group of four to five people from the Muslim community, adding a communal colour to the incident.
However, the claim is misleading. As per Station House Officer (SHO) Sameer Shrivastav of Naraina Police Station, there is no communal angle to the incident.
A press note issued by Delhi Police identifies five accused – four adults and one minor – of which four are from the Hindu community while one belongs to the Muslim community.
CLAIM
Social media users are sharing the incident of Shiva Gurjar's murder with the hashtag 'justice_for_shiva_gurjar,' with the claim that all accused in the case belong to the Muslim community.
An archiveof this post an be seen here.
(Source: Facebook/Screenshot)
A verified Twitter user Elvish Yadav also shared the claim on Twitter.
The same claim is being shared on Telegram as well, and was seen on a channel named 'MeghUpdates' by over 8,500 people at the time of writing this article.
Archived versions of more such claims can be seen here, here, and here.
WHAT WE FOUND OUT
Using keywords, we looked for news reports on the incident and came across one dated 22 March by Hindustan Times, which mentioned that five people, including one minor, had been held by Delhi Police for attacking and stabbing 29-year-old Shiva Gurjar at a paan kiosk in Naraina, Delhi on Friday, 18 March.
According to the report, Shiva Gurjar and three others stopped by the kiosk to have paan when Shiva's bike allegedly brushed past an employee of the kiosk, identified as Vakil Ahmed. An argument broke out between the two, which escalated and led to the kiosk owner, his two sons and his minor nephew to join Ahmed, overpowering Gurjar.
Another article by Times Now Hindi noted that the minor involved in the incident stabbed Gurjar in the chest, after which he was rushed to the hospital and was declared "brought dead".
This report identifies the other adult accused as Dharmendra Rai, Sachin Rai, and Ramanuj.
The Quint contacted Naraina police's Station House Officer (SHO) Sameer Shrivastav regarding the incident, who categorically denied a communal angle to the conflict. He informed us that a minor altercation led to the murder, and that the victim and the main accused (minor) both belonged to the Hindu community.
He named the accused, stating that four of the accused were from the same family and belonged to the Hindu community, adding that there should be strict action against the people who were trying to communalise the issue.
DELHI POLICE ISSUES VIDEO STATEMENT, DENIES COMMUNAL ANGLE
With the help of a reporter, we were able to access the press note issued by the Delhi Police in connection to this case. It mentioned that an FIR had been registered on 19 March under Sections 302 (punishment for murder) and 34 (acts done by several persons in furtherance of common intention).
With this press note, we could confirm that four accused – including one child in conflict with the law (CCL) – belonged to the Hindu community and one was from the Muslim community.
Delhi Police's verified Twitter account also shared a video byte regarding the case, denying "the baseless communal claim," asking people to view the issue as an offence.
Evidently, claims stating that four to five people from the Muslim community attacked and killed Shiva Gurjar is misleading, as four of the five accused named in the case belong to the Hindu community, while the fifth one is from the Muslim community.
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