Person seen firing with gun in this viral video is not police as Zee claimed.
Ashok Sharma, a Bajrang Dal activist confessed that it is him seen firing in the viral video.
Claim
people firing in the video were not the members of Bajrang Dal, but the police in plain clothes… the police was protecting the crowd from the rioters
Rating
Explanation
Vishva Hindu Parishad, Bajrang Dal, and Matrishakti Durgavahini organised a yatra. A day before the procession, a video of Monu Manesar saying that he would be joining the procession was circulated. This created a tense atmosphere in Haryana’s Nuh. It was informed later that he would not be attending the yatra as VHP advised against it. Monu Manesar, a cow vigilante and Bajrang Dal member is an accused wanted by Rajasthan police in connection with Junaid and Nasir murder case.
The procession started on July 31 and was prevented by a mob from going forward towards a Shiva temple in Nalhar, believing the rumour that Monu Manesar is taking part in the yatra. The mob pelted stones and attacked the yatra participants using sticks and petrol bombs. The communal clash erupted in Haryana’s Nuh and Gurugram districts lead to the death of two initially and increased to six later. Several people were injured. Several houses, shops, religious places were damaged. Curfews are being imposed to control the situations in Nuh and Gurugram.
मित्र ज्ञान की प्राप्ति कीजिए, सिविल ड्रेस में हथियारबंद पुलिस के जवान है ये, कोई बजरंगदल के कार्यकर्ता नहीं। वाट्सअप यूनिवर्सिटी पर सब सही नहीं होता है, इसलिए झूठ फैलाना बंद कीजिए। https://t.co/WtxiJXBBa4
— कुनाल भटनागर (@Kunal_Alwar) August 3, 2023
Meanwhile, a video showing a crowd in a place and a person in a plain t-shirt firing with a gun is viral. This video also shows several armed policemen and people wearing Bajrang Dal T-shirts. The purported video is from the Shiva temple in Nuh’s Nalhar. It is claimed that the person firing with a gun is police in civil dress. Zee News reported such a claim and multiple social media users are also posting the same.
What is the truth?
When watching the video closely, the face of the person with the gun is revealed when he is returning to the crowd after firing. It is also said that the person seen with the gun in the video is Ashok Baba (Ashok Sharma), a Bajrang Dal activist from Faridabad. Multiple social media users compared the photo of him in the viral video with his other photos. Multiple photos of Ashok Sharma including the photos of him with Monu Manesar and other photos of him with other lawyers started circulating mentioning that he is a bar council member and also has been an accomplice of Monu Manesar.
Some of the right-wing supporters and media including Zee News denied saying that they are not Bajrang Dal members and claimed that people in plain clothes seen with guns are policemen in civil dress. The news video also shows the visuals from the viral video. However, an interview with Ashok Baba is published by India TV on 3, August 2023 which reveals that he is the one seen in the viral video. He is seen talking at the 3:20 minute timeframe of the video.
When the reporter asked for facts, Ashok Baba answered, “The rifle is mine. I have caught many accused, so the government has allotted and licensed the weapon. I was compelled to use the weapon as there were many women and kids inside the temple premises. IG Mamta Singh came there with 10-30 policemen after which firing started from all four sides. Four were fired on the spot. To save all and for the security of everyone I fired in the air to scare the mob”.
When the reporter asked how many people did he see in the hills while firing he is heard saying, “I cannot say the exact number but there were around 200-250 people. Some of them pelted stones and some were firing. The ladies in the temple couldn’t have been saved if I have not used the gun to fire that time. The reporter asked about his association with Monu Manesar. He said that both of them are cow protectors who fight to save cows. “There are people who say ‘Pakistan Zindabad’ and ‘Allah hu Akbar’ despite living in India. Don’t they feel shameless?”, he added.
When the reporter asked him why did they go with a weapon to the yatra he said, “It is my licensed weapon. The government issued it to me for the purpose of self-defense. I didn’t take the weapon to the temple initially. The rifle was in my vehicle. I was compelled to take it as I felt I was surrounded from all sides”. He also told that he fired only once in the air when the reporter asked how many times he fired and the necessity for him to fire when there were policemen. He further said he was in thought to save ladies, mothers, and kids, and the situation would have turned even worse if the IG had not come to the temple.
From this conversation with Ashok Baba (Ashok Sharma), we found that it is him who is seen firing in the viral video.
Conclusion
It is found that the person seen in a plain t-shirt with a gun in the viral video is Ashok Baba, a Bajrang Dal activist. Multiple social media users and media including Zee News falsely claimed that he is a police in civil dress.
