"Wake up Hindus", "Muslims have to unite", read posts made on different social media pages and profiles as parts of Haryana witnessed violence and clashes between the two communities on 31 July.
One thing tied these posts together – old and unrelated visuals were used to spread mis/disinformation and instigate violence by emotionally manipulating social media users.
On 31 July, communal tensions gripped Nuh and several other districts in Haryana after violence broke out during the Brij Mandal Jalabhishek Yatra, a procession led by the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) – a right-wing Hindutva organisation. The Quint's WebQoof found and debunked several pieces of m/disinformation following the violence.
But what happened days before the violence started in the state? How did old and unrelated videos were used to incite different communities? How did the internet play a role in fuelling the violence? Through this story, we will be looking to answer these questions.
What Happened Days Before the Violence?
The Quint accessed a purported video of Monu Manesar, where he urged his followers to participate in the procession in large numbers. An officer told Hindustan Times that the trigger for the violence was a rumour that Manesar would join the procession.
It should be noted that Manesar is an accused in the case where two people were kidnapped and murdered allegedly on the suspicion of cow smuggling. Their charred bodies were found in Haryana.
Bittu Bajrangi, a self-styled cow vigilante, too, shared a video on his Facebook profile where he could be heard saying that he will be coming to Haryana with at least 150 cars. A day later, Faridabad police filed an First Information Report (FIR) against Bajrangi.
Several other clips went viral in response to those by Manesar and Bajrangi. In a video allegedly posted by one Mohd Sabir Khan, the caption read, "We are ready to welcome all Monus and Sonus."
Unrelated Visuals Used to Call For Violence From Hindu Community
On 2 August, several social media users shared posts carrying a set of four photos and claimed that the visuals were recent and from Haryana violence.
The posts carried text asking people from the Hindu community whether they will get "beaten up all around" and be called rioters for Jai Shri Ram slogans. The posts tried to instigated violence.
An archive of this tweet can be seen here.
(Source: X/Screenshot)
However, The Quint found that neither the pictures were recent nor were they related to the violence that broke out on 31 July in Haryana.
On the same day, we debunked a video that showed several people wearing skull caps and destroying buses with stones. The video was shared with a caption in Hindi, which loosely translated to, "We filed tax return yesterday for these people." The users identified the location as Mewat, Haryana.
What's the problem, you ask? The video dates back to 2019 and was from Gujarat's Surat. It reportedly showed protesters attacking a bus during a rally against mob lynching.
Another video — which showed several people attacking a man on the streets while others in the background can be seen wearing skull caps — was shared with a caption asking people to "wake up".
The caption with the video said, "If you don't wake up on Mewat, then one day your end is also going to be like this."
However, the video was not even related to India. It was from Bangladesh's Comilla district and dated back to 2017.
Misinformation Targetted at the Muslim Community
A video from a short film went viral on social media platforms with a claim that it showed Hindus and Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) people beating a Muslim in Haryana.
The caption also mentioned that the Muslim community is "unfortunately helpless and should unite". The video showed several men pinning an injured to the ground.
An archive of this post can be seen here.
(Source: Instagram/Screenshot)
The Quint's WebQoof found that the clip was from a Hindi short film titled Dosti ki Saja (the punishment for friendship). The producer of the short film, Vipin Pandey, confirmed that it was shot in Uttar Pradesh's Lucknow.
Following the communal clashes in Haryana, a demolition drive was started and structures near Shaheed Hassan Khan Mewati Hospital in Nalhar were brought down.
Nuh sub-divisional magistrate (SDM) Ashwani Kumar said that the owners of the structures were involved in the violence.
This came as a contradiction to an earlier statement from officials which said that the demolition drive had nothing to do with the communal violence.
Using this as context, old and unrelated visuals were shared to claim that they showed houses belonging to Muslims being demolished in Haryana.
One such image which showed a man wearing a skull cap and standing in front of a building which is being demolished went viral on the internet. The image was uploaded with a caption that said, "An helpless Muslim man from Nuh, Haryana watching his home's demolition by government (sic)."
An archive can be seen here.
(Source: X/Screenshot)
We found that the image could be traced back to 2022 and was taken in Khargone, Madhya Pradesh.
In a similar manner, a video of a young girl's interview was shared to claim that she belonged to the Muslim community and her house was razed in the demolition drives.
An archive of this post can be seen here.
(Source: X/Screenshot)
We could trace the video back to 16 June. It was taken when the Delhi Urban Slum Improvement Board (DUSIB) demolished makeshift homes at Priyanka Gandhi Vadra camp near Vasant Kunj. The interview of the girl had no connection with Haryana violence.
How Emotions Make One Susceptible to Misinformation?
The problem with these posts are that all of them appeal to people's emotions. Almost all the claims seen above either incited people to react or showed a particular community as helpless and called for the rest of the community to unite and fight against the "others".
The Quint's project 'Verify Kiya Kya' noted how emotions play a huge role in people falling for fake news. We went through studies and spoke to psychologists who confirmed that increased emotions make us vulnerable to misinformation.
Home Minister of state Anil Vij, in a recent statement, said that social media platforms played a "significant role" in fuelling the violence and added that a committee was being formed to take action against those spreading misinformation.
While Haryana Police registered three FIRs against three individuals for allegedly spreading rumours on online platforms, the immediate impact of mis/disinformation can be catastrophic as seen in Manipur, where women from the Kuki community were allegedly paraded naked and gang-raped by men from Meitei community over rumours of rape and murder of a Meitei nurse.
(Not convinced of a post or information you came across online and want it verified? Send us the details on WhatsApp at 9643651818, or e-mail it to us at webqoof@thequint.com and we'll fact-check it for you. You can also read all our fact-checked stories here.)
(At The Quint, we are answerable only to our audience. Play an active role in shaping our journalism by becoming a member. Because the truth is worth it.)