A set of four images, showing violence in Delhi and Telangana’s Bhainsa in 2020, is being shared on social media as visuals of a recent communal clash in Bhainsa.
On Thursday, 11 March, the area saw a spell of violence, in which some vehicles and a shop were set on fire. This occurred after a communal clash broke out between two religious communities in Bhainsa on Sunday, 7 March, for which 13 people, including two sitting councillors, were arrested.
However, we found that some images being shared are unrelated to this incident.
CLAIM
Several users shared the images in context of the recent violence in Bhainsa, Telangana.
WHAT WE FOUND OUT
We found that the images are old and unrelated to the recent incident. Let’s look at them one by one.
IMAGE 1
A reverse image search led us to the image in Outlook’s gallery on the violence in northeast Delhi.
The image had been attributed to PTI photographer Ravi Choudhary with the caption: “Security personnel stand guard near a neighbourhood vandalised by rioters during clashes between those against and those supporting the Citizenship (Amendment) Act in northeast Delhi.”
We also found the image in PTI Archives with the same caption, dated 25 February 2020.
IMAGE 2
We found the photo on Getty Images, credited to AFP photographer Sajjad Hussain. The photograph was taken on 26 February 2020 and carried the caption: “A resident looks at burnt residential premises and shops following the violence in north-east Delhi.”
IMAGES 3 AND 4
While the images are from a communal clash in Bhainsa, they date back to January 2020.
We found the third image in an article by The New Indian Express, dated 13 January 2020.
The fourth image has been credited to The News Minute in an article dated 15 January 2020.
WHAT HAPPENED IN BHAINSA?
According to The News Minute’s article, a communal clash broke out in Bhainsa on Sunday, 7 March, between two religious groups, following an argument over a bike accident.
While two houses and nine vehicles were set on fire, six persons, including journalists and three policemen, were injured in stone-pelting. The police went on to arrest 13 people, including two sitting councillors – one from AIMIM and an independent – in connection to the violence.
The Hindu had also reported the incident.
However, fresh violence broke out on Thursday, for which the police arrested one person. Nearly 500 policemen were deployed in the area to check any unrest, TNM reported.
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