A video is being widely shared on social media in which some people can be seen throwing stones from a rooftop onto the crowd below.
Those sharing the video claim it shows men from the Muslim community pelting stones at Hindus in Uttarkashi, Uttarakhand.
A social media user shared the video and wrote, “Forget Kashmir. Now, Hindus being attacked in Uttarkashi, Uttarakhand, a holy pilgrimage site of Hindus.” (Translated from Hindi) (Archive)
SouthCheck found that the claim was false. The persons seen pelting stones are not Muslims.
On doing a Google reverse image search, we found the same video uploaded on YouTube on October 25, 2024. The title indicated that people resorted to stone pelting in Uttarkashi over their demand for the demolition of a mosque.
On searching with relevant keywords, we found that The Hindu on October 24, 2024, reported the same incident. According to the report, right-wing organisations had taken out a protest demanding the demolition of a mosque in Uttarkashi, Uttarakhand. Police resorted to lathi-charge for dispelling the crowd; in retaliation, the protestors threw stones at them.
The protesters – who threw stones at the police – alleged that the mosque, which sits near the Kashi Vishwanath temple, was illegally built on government land and demanded its removal at the earliest.
The report said, "The Jan Akrosh Rally was organised under the banner of the Sanyukt Sanatan Dharma Rakshak Dal. Members of the Bajrang Dal, the Devbhoomi Raksha Abhiyan, other right-wing organisations and local traders participated."
We found that The Indian Express too has covered the incident. According to the report, “Protesters under the banner of Sanyukt Sanatan Dharm Rakshak Sangh had taken out the rally on Thursday, claiming that a mosque in Uttarakhand’s Uttarkashi town was built illegally and demanding that it be demolished.” The case FIR alleged that ‘participants of the rally resorted to violence, resulting in serious injuries to police personnel, and that the modesty of women officers on duty was targeted.’
We also found a tweet by the Uttarkashi police denying the viral claim.
The police tweeted, “The Hindu organisation did not use the designated route for the rally/procession, and when they were stopped by the barricades put up by the police, the protesters/mob pelted stones/bottles and later some people went from the side and started pelting stones behind/on top of the Ambedkar Bhawan.”
The SP of Uttarkashi, Amit Srivastava, in a video byte, explained that the incident occurred during a rally organised by the Joint Sanatan Dharma Rakshak Sangh. There was no mention of Muslims being involved in the stone pelting incident that led to injuries to bystanders and the police.
Hence, we conclude that the persons seen pelting stones in the viral video are not Muslims.
