Video of blast in Bulandshahr shared with false communal spin
Claim
UP’s Bulandshahr tremendous blast, 4 killed. Blast in the house of Mohammad Shafiq, who lives near the mosque. Chemical filled drums recovered from home. Nearby houses were also razed to the ground, the bodies of the dead were scattered far and wide. @bulandshahrpol #Islam #quran
Rating
Explanation
There was a huge explosion in Kotwali region of Bulandshahr district of Uttar Pradesh in which 4 people were dead. It was initially suspected that the explosion was triggered by a gas cylinder blast. Whereas in social media, it is being claimed that the blast took place in a house of a Muslim named Mohammed Shafiq. Sudarshan News UP’s tweet includes #Islam #Quran in its tweet with an intent to make this a communal issue.
The New Indian, Bharggav Roy, Jitendra Pratap Singh, a senior journalist from Sudarshan News TV and many others made similar claims that the explosion was caused by Mohammed Shafiq.
What’s the truth?
In a keyword search, we found an article from the Times of India that reported the blast took place in a house which was taken on rent by Raj Kumar, which was illegally used to manufacture crackers.
In another article from Dainik Jagran, it was reported that Satish Kumar was the landlord of the house taken on rent by Raj Kumar. According to the news reports, an FIR had been filed regarding the blast against Raj Kumar.
Moreover, Bulandshahr tweeted a video of Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Shlok Kumar stating that some documents were found at the explosion site related to M/S Air Star Traders company which is registered under the name of a person named Rajkumar.
कृपया तथ्यो की जानकारी किये बिना भ्रामक खबर न फैलाये।
— Bulandshahr Police (@bulandshahrpol) April 1, 2023
थाना कोतवाली नगर क्षेत्रान्तर्गत खेतों के बीच बने एक मकान में विस्फोट होने के सम्बन्ध में वरिष्ठ पुलिस अधीक्षक की #अपडेट बाइट।@Uppolice @dgpup @adgzonemeerut @igrangemeerut pic.twitter.com/Bl0IhMxCOD
— Bulandshahr Police (@bulandshahrpol) March 31, 2023
When we did a keyword search for Air Star Traders, we happened to come across a link from India Mart which stated that the proprietor of the company is Raj Kumar.
So, the tenant who ran an illegal business and the landlord are both Hindus. But, this is being shared with a malicious intent to incite communal angle to the explosion.
Conclusion
The claims that the blast took place in house of Mohammed Shafiq is false. The blast took in house rented by Raj Kumar and the landlord Satish, both are Hindus.
