A video, which shows a mob brandishing guns and knives, and also shouting provocative slogans in front of a temple, is being shared on social media linking it to the recent communal clashes in Madhya Pradesh's Khargone on the occasion of Ram Navami.
So far, at least 148 people have been arrested for arson and stone-pelting and according to state police, over 44 First Information Reports (FIRs) have been registered in connection with the case.
However, we found that the video is from a Muharram procession that took place in 2018 in Khargone, and it is not linked to the recent clashes.
CLAIM
One of the captions with the viral video said, "खरगोन में ही कुछ दिनों पहले गणेश मंदिर के सामने DJ में भड़काऊ गाने बजाये गए किसी ने कुछ नहीं बोला लेकिन आज कोई नारे नहीं लगाए गए और न ही कोई भड़काऊ गाने फिर भी जो आज हुआ आप सब ने देखा"
(Translation: A few days ago, in Khargone, provocative songs were played in front of Ganesh temple by DJ when no one said anything but today no slogans were raised and no provocative songs were played yet you all saw what happened today)
Archived version of the post can be seen here.
(Source : Tweet/ Screenshot)
The video was also shared by Swarajya Magazine's Swati Goel Sharma who, too, claimed that the video was a recent one from Khargone.
However, she later clarified in another tweet that the video might be from 2018.
Similar posts on Facebook and Twitter can be seen here, here and here.
WHAT WE FOUND OUT
On conducting a reverse image search on Google, we came across the same video uploaded on YouTube in 25 September 2018.
The description mentioned "Khargone muharram 2k18".
The YouTube video was posted in 2018.
(Source : Altered by The Quint)
On comparing the visuals from the old YouTube video and the viral video, glaring similarities can be noticed.
Video from 2018 shared as recent.
(Source : Altered by The Quint)
We also noticed a billboard with a congratulatory message which mentions the place to be Khargone in Hindi.
The video is captured in Khargone.
(Source : Altered by The Quint)
The Quint contacted a freelance journalist named Tarun Soni who clarified that the viral video is nearly four years old.
"The procession is seen passing through Shri Chintamani Ganesh temple at Ganesh Chowk in Khargone and it shows Muharram procession from 2018."Tarun Soni, Freelance Journalist
We also tried contacting Khargone police about the viral video and the story will be updated if and when we receive a response.
WHAT HAPPENED IN KHARGONE ON RAM NAVAMI?
On 10 April, stone pelting and arson was reported during a Ram Navami procession in Madhya Pradesh's Khargone.
Almost a week after the clashes, one person who was injured and was missing since the unrest was found dead on Sunday, 17 April.
Sources told The Quint that when the procession was being taken out, people allegedly belonging to the Muslim community took objection to the music being played in the celebratory march, following which the matter escalated and stone pelting began.
A day later, the local administration undertook a demolition drive in areas where the violence had erupted. As many as 16 houses and 29 shops, mostly owned by people from the Muslim community, were demolished by the administration, citing their involvement in the clashes as the reason.
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