A video going viral on social media (here, here, and here) claims that a Muslim youth named “Arshad” was tied up and brutally beaten in Dataganj, Budaun. The post also claims that his skin was torn in several places due to the assault, allegedly suggesting the incident was an act of mob lynching. Let’s verify the claim through this article.
Claim: The video shows a Muslim youth named “Arshad” being tied up and brutally beaten in Dataganj, Budaun, Uttar Pradesh in an incident of mob lynching.
Fact: The incident seen in the viral video took place on 24 September 2024. Arshad Hussain from Arela, Uttar Pradesh was tied to an electric pole and beaten with sticks after his younger brother, Amir, allegedly eloped with a woman from the same area. Upset by the marriage, the woman’s family surrounded Arshad on his way home, took him hostage, and assaulted him. The FIR copy revealed that all accused are Muslims which confirmed that the incident was not a religious hate crime but stemmed from a personal dispute between two groups from the Muslim community. Hence, the claim made in the post is FALSE.
A Google keyword search led us to a statement from Budaun Police on the X platform regarding the same incident. The police clarified that the attack stemmed from an “old rivalry,” during which the youth was tied to an electric pole and brutally beaten. A case has been registered, and three suspects have been arrested.
Further investigation led to reports (here, here, and here) describing the incident. According to these reports, Arshad Hussain, a resident of Arela, was tied to an electric pole and beaten with sticks after his younger brother, Amir, allegedly eloped with a woman from the same area. Upset by the marriage, the woman’s family surrounded Arshad on his way home on 24 September 2024, took him hostage, and assaulted him with sticks, belts, and punches, he was tied to an electric pole on the roadside and beaten in the morning.
We also accessed the copy of the FIR filed regarding this incident and found that all the accused in this incident are Muslims.
To sum up, the incident in the viral video was not a religious hate crime but arose from a personal dispute between two groups from the Muslim community.
