CLAIM
A viral video is being circulated on social media with the claim that it is from Mumbai’s Bandra Kurla Complex (BKC), where auto-rickshaw and taxi drivers are pelting stones at BEST buses. The video claims that they are throwing stones in opposition to the decrease in fares of BEST buses, as they are now being widely used by the public. It further alleges that most people in the video are ‘illiterate’ Muslims.
Several social media users have shared the video on Facebook and Twitter with the same claim.
The Quint received a query on the claim made by the video via its Whatsapp helpline.
TRUE OR FALSE?
The claim with which the viral video is being shared is false. Firstly, the incident depicted did not take place in Mumbai but in Gujrat’s Surat. Secondly, the buses in question aren’t BEST buses but Surat’s local Sitilink buses.
WHAT WE FOUND OUT
Upon watching the video frame by frame, we found an imprint of ‘Sitilink’. We looked up Sitilink and found that it stands for Surat Bus Rapid Transit System, which is a public transport system operated by the Surat Municipal Corporation.
Consequently, we conducted a YouTube search using the key words ‘surat bus muslim,’ which led us to a video which had been published by the news channel TV9 Gujarati on 5 July.
The video is titled ‘Rally against mob lynching incidents turns violent in Surat, stones pelted on buses.’ Several news channels including ABP Asmita and Zee 24 Kalak had reported the aftermath of a rally in Surat, which was held to protest against incidents of mob lynching.
Further, The Times of India reported that the rally was organised by Versatile Minorities Forum in Surat’s Nanpura area, and several Muslims participated in it. Although, as per the permission granted, the rally had to be taken out from Dargah to Makkai Pool in Nanpura, but some people flouted the rules, the report said. They also reportedly damaged a local bus near the Take Off restaurant.
Also, as many as 40 people were reportedly arrested and the local court sent them to Lajpore jail under judicial custody.
VIDEO VIRAL WITH DIFFERENT CLAIMS
The video is viral on social media with different versions of the same claim.
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