CCTV footage of a fight at a Garments Store in Muzaffarnagar, U.P is shared with a false communal narrative
A video going viral on social media (here, here, and here) shows CCTV footage of a fight breaking out at a garments store in Muzaffarnagar, Uttar Pradesh. The post claims that some Muslims misbehaved with a woman at the store, which resulted in them being beaten up. Let’s verify the truth behind the video in this article.
Claim: CCTV footage shows a fight between two groups after some Muslims misbehaved with a woman at a garments store, resulting in them being beaten up.
Fact: On 07 November 2024, at Jhansi Rani Chowk, Rehan and his family went shopping for an upcoming family wedding. They left without buying anything, which reportedly led to a dispute with the shopkeeper, resulting in a fight where Rehan’s side allegedly hit the shopkeeper. Bystanders intervened, settling the matter. On 08 November 2024, when Rehan’s group returned to the market, shopkeepers allegedly retaliated. The FIR copy revealed that all parties involved are Muslims, with no religious angle to the case. It also mentioned a person named Sagar, whose community affiliation remains unidentified, as police stated that his identity is still under investigation. Hence, the claim made in the post is Misleading.
A reverse image search of the keyframes from the viral video led us to a tweet by Hindi Khabar on 09 November 2024, stating, “A fight broke out between a customer and a shopkeeper at a garments store in Muzaffarnagar over alleged mistreatment of a woman, leading to the police arresting two individuals.” In response, the Muzaffarnagar police confirmed that the Civil Line Police had registered a case, and arrested seven accused, and further legal action is underway.
Taking a clue from the description a Google keyword search led us to the report (here, here, and here). According to reports, on 07 November 2024, at Jhansi Rani Chowk, Rehan and his family went shopping for an upcoming wedding in their family. They left without buying anything, which reportedly led to a dispute with the shopkeeper. A fight broke out, with Rehan’s side allegedly hitting the shopkeeper. Some bystanders intervened and settled the issue. The next day, on 08 November 2024, when Rehan’s group returned to the market, shopkeepers allegedly attacked them in retaliation.
We accessed the FIR copy filed regarding this incident, which revealed that all individuals involved, both accused and victims, are Muslims, and there is no religious angle to the incident.
In the FIR copy, we noted a person named Sagar but could not confirm his community affiliation. We then contacted the Civil Line police station for more details. They confirmed that both the accused and victims in the case are Muslims and belong to the same community. When asked about Sagar, the police clarified that his identity and community affiliation are still under investigation and that they haven’t identified Sagar’s community yet.
To sum up, CCTV footage of a fight at a Garments Store in Muzaffarnagar, U.P is shared with a false communal narrative.