A video which shows several people throwing stones at what appears to be bungalows is going viral on the internet as a recent incident from Kerala, where several users have given the incident a communal angle.
What are users claiming?: The video is being shared with a caption that said, "Muslim boys throwing stones on Hindu bungalows in Kerala threatening them to vacate, same like Kashmir situation is going to come in future (sic)."
An archive of the claim can be found here.
(Source: Twitter/Screenshot)
Archives of similar claims can be found here, here, and here. We received multiple queries about the viral video on our WhatsApp tipline.
What is the truth?: The video dates back to 2016 and is being shared with a false communal angle.
The incident is from Kerala's Nadapuram when about 50 houses were attacked by an angry mob following the murder of an Indian Union Muslim League (IUML) worker named Aslam.
How did we find out?: We divided the video into several keyframes using a video verification tool called InVID and performed a reverse image search on them.
A Google Lens search led us to a video, which carried similar visuals, uploaded on the official channel of Manorama News.
It was uploaded on 15 August 2016 and was titled, "More than 50 house attacked in Nadapuram | Manorama News."
The video mentioned that houses mostly belonging to Congress, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Communist Party of India (Marxist) supporters. Some other houses were also attacked.
It said that the police registered two dozen cases in connection with the attack. The attackers covered their faces to prevent themselves from being identified.
Auto-rickshaws, bikes, and other vehicles were damaged. Cases have been filed against more than 50 people.
News reports: A Times of India report published on 18 August 2016 said that according to revenue officials, about 47 houses were attacked.
The violence reportedly took place in Nadapuram and Thuneri following the murder of IUML worker K Aslam.
The report further mentioned that while six houses suffered major damages, others suffered minor damages due to stone pelting.
The assailants attacked 40 houses in Thuneri and seven houses in Nadapuram.
Murder of IUML worker: According to a report published by Deccan Chronicle on 14 August 2016, Aslam was hacked to death allegedly by CPI(M) activists.
He was one of the 17 acquitted IUML workers in the CK Shibin murder case. Congress and IUML leaders condemned the killing.
The News Minute reported that a CPI (M) worker named Ramesh was arrested in connection with the case. Ramesh was reportedly the key suspect in the crime.
Conclusion: It is clear that the video dates back to 2016 and shows people attacking houses following the murder of an IUML worker. The incident had no communal angle.
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