Video of a brawl between Kedarnath pilgrims and horse operators is shared with false communal spin.
Claim
Shameful/Sad – Muslim terror in Kedarnath. Chardham Yatris in Kedarnath were thrashed by Muslim horse and mule operators Incident of Ghopadav/Bhimbali area Yatris were beaten with sticks
Rating
Explanation
A 2:50 minute video showing a brawl between Kedarnath devotees and horse operators where the operators are seen beating the devotees later with their sticks is widely circulated on Twitter and Facebook with the claim that the operators are Muslims.
https://twitter.com/rashtrawadi_aks/status/1668592304947609600?s=46&t=kIszbQH_arRSG8kPbuGeZw
The viral posts claim that the Yatris were beaten by Muslim horse and mule operators. The video is shared with a similar claim by many right-wingers.
The posts were initially shared by Gopal Goswami and Navnirman Hindu Sena Parishad (NHSP) Twitter accounts with the same claim and were deleted later. Some of the posts with similar claims can be seen here, here and here.
What is the truth?
We found a reply tweet by Uttarakhand Police to one of the viral posts. The tweet clarifies that the horse and mule operators who assaulted the devotees on the Kedarnath Dham footpath were arrested after registering a case against them at Kotwali Sonprayag. This tweet carried a photo of four accused with their faces covered along with two policemen.
केदारनाथ धाम पैदल मार्ग पर श्रद्धालुओं के साथ मारपीट करने वाले घोड़ा खच्चर संचालकों के विरुद्ध कोतवाली सोनप्रयाग पर मुकदमा दर्ज कर गिरफ्तार कर लिया गया है।https://t.co/CNBssgRSMo
— उत्तराखण्ड पुलिस – Uttarakhand Police (@uttarakhandcops) June 13, 2023
Another tweet by Rudraprayag Police Uttarkhand is found carrying the same image. The accused are identified as Ankit Singh, Santosh Kumar, Rohit Kumar and Gautam, resident of village Jakhan Bhardar, Rudraprayag. The tweet further mentions that separate action has been taken in relation to a minor involved in the incident.
With further search, an article dated 13, June 2023 on Chetan Gurungg website is found carrying the same image of the four accused with policemen. The article reported that a fight with a woman Tanuka, a resident of Mahipalpur, who came to Kedarnath Dham darshan erupted when she told the horse operators not to beat the horse and when the operators continue to beat the horse near the Bhimbali bridge. As per her complaint, as soon as she told to stop beating the horse, other operators gathered and started abusing and beating them.
The article lists the names of the accused as Ankit Singh, Santosh Kumar, Rohit Kumar and Gautam. Along with them, a minor boy is also included in the accused list. Necessary action has been taken against him separately. The police have also requested to cancel the license issued to the accused for operating horses.
Conclusion
It is found that the claim that the Yatris were beaten by Muslim horse and mule operators is false. Four were arrested in this case and none of them is a Muslim. All the accused are identified as Hindus.
