A post accompanying a video clip showing a dead body lying on the ground, along with a few policemen and people standing nearby, is being widely shared across social media platforms. The claim accompanying the video suggests that in Uttar Pradesh’s Shamli district, an Imam named Fazlur Rehman was murdered and beheaded by Hindus, attributing a communal angle to the incident. Through this article, let’s fact-check the claim made in the post.
Claim: In Uttar Pradesh’s Shamli district, a mosque Imam named Fazlur Rehman was murdered and beheaded by Hindus.
Fact: According to reports and the police, on 11 June 2024, an Imam named Fazlur Rehman was murdered and beheaded in Mannamajra village under the jurisdiction of Jhinjhana police station in Shamli district, Uttar Pradesh. The police and various reports confirm that there is no communal angle in this incident, and the accused in this case is the deceased’s son, Junaid. Hence, the claim made in the post is FALSE.
To verify the veracity of the viral claim, we conducted a relevant keyword search. This search led us to several news reports (here, here, and here). According to these reports, a 58-year-old Imam was allegedly hacked to death by his mentally challenged son in Mannamajra village under Jhinjhana police station limits in Shamli district on 11 June 2024. The incident took place when the deceased had gone to the jungle to search for his son. Shamli district Superintendent of Police Abhishek stated that the deceased has been identified as 58-year-old Fazlur Rehman, while his son has been identified as Junaid, who is in his early 20s.
According to ‘ Amarujala’ report, Fazlur Rehman was killed by his son Junaid over a bicycle issue. Family members of the deceased stated that Junaid had been demanding a new bicycle from his father for several days. However, his father had promised to give him the bicycle after a few days. This angered Junaid, prompting him to take his father’s bicycle and go to the field. The incident occurred when the deceased went to the field to search for his son.
According to reports, the Jhinjhana police arrested the accused, Junaid, and a case has been registered against him based on a complaint lodged by the brother of the deceased. Shamli Police also posted the details regarding this incident on their official X(Twitter) account.
Furthermore, we contacted the SHO of Jhinjhana police station, who confirmed that there was no communal angle in this incident. He stated that the accused in this incident was Junaid, the son of the deceased Imam Fazlur Rehman. He also clarified that the incident happened over a bicycle issue.
It should be noted that some posts are going viral claiming that three Imams were killed in Uttar Pradesh within a week, suggesting a communal angle in these incidents. However, as of now, there are no reports confirming any communal angle in these incidents.
According to reports (here & here), on 08 June 2024, a renowned Imam, Maulana Farooq, who was the general secretary of Jamiat Ulama-e-Hind in Pratapgarh, was killed in his native village, Sonapur, over financial matters. Pratapgarh police also posted details regarding this murder of the Imam in Sonapur, Pratapgarh, on their X(Twitter) account. According to this post, the cause of the murder was financial transactions.
According to reports (here, here & here), on 11 June 2024, Imam Mohammad Akram was shot dead in Bhensia village in Uttar Pradesh’s Moradabad. The investigation in this case is ongoing, and as of now, no arrests have been made in connection with this incident. The reasons behind this murder are still unknown.
To sum it up, the murder of an Imam in Shamli, Uttar Pradesh, is being shared with a false communal narrative.
