A video, showing a man threatening Muslims with guns is viral on social media; it is falsely claimed to be shot recently after suspended BJP Spokesperson Nupur Sharma’s controversial remarks on Prophet Muhammad

Row created over suspended BJP Spokesperson Nupur Sharma’s remarks on Prophet Muhammad has given some elements, who have an axe to grind with the current government, an opportunity to instigate riots and damage India’s image by making those videos viral, which have otherwise been found contrary to the ground reality.

For example, a video has gone viral on social media where a man is seen threatening members belonging to the Muslim community while firing a gun. In the video, a man wearing a red t-shirt is heard threatening to kill Muslims and abusing Prophet Muhammad. The clip was shared by many social media users with a caption that read: “Modi’s Hindus are now posting their promise to kill Muslims on social media with total impunity.”

C J Werleman, who is a correspondent of the London-based Byline Times, shared this video quoting the same caption.



Fact Check:

IVD team has found the post highly misleading as the video in circulation is not only more than two years old but also unconnected to the ongoing row over remarks on Prophet Muhammad. A twitter user Abdul Shaik had posted a screengrab of the same video on April 26, 2020.

After going through the comment section of this viral video, the IVD team came across a newspaper clipping posted by one Saheb Altamas. It was reported that the man in question was arrested for spreading provocative speech on social media



How was the man’s identity confirmed?

Using advanced Google search, the IVD team found multiple news stories about the incident from March 2020. Newspaper articles from News 18 and Hindustan confirmed that the man in question was Yogendra Singh Chauhan, a Lucknow resident whom UP police arrested on March 1, 2020.