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60 Hindus Killed During Muzaffarnagar Riots? Yogi Adityanath's Statement Is Misleading
Writer: Jakir Hassan
A journalist at heart loves the in-depth work of reporting, writing, editing, research, and data analysis. A digital and social media enthusiast.
Uttar Pradesh, 31 Jan 2022 11:05 AM GMT | Updated 31 Jan 2022 11:50 AM GMT
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Creatives : Jakir Hassan
A journalist at heart loves the in-depth work of reporting, writing, editing, research, and data analysis. A digital and social media enthusiast.
During an election rally, UP CM Yogi Adityanath said that more than Hindus were killed in the Muzaffarnagar riots. In reality, the clashes between the Hindu and Muslim communities in the Muzaffarnagar riots resulted in 62 deaths which included 42 Muslims and 20 Hindus.
As the dates of the elections are approaching, the political attacks between the parties are in full intensity. CM Yogi Adityanath, in a rally in Ghaziabad, accused the Samajwadi Party of instigating the Muzaffarnagar riots. CM Yogi said that the SP government of Akhilesh Yadav got the riots organized and helped the criminals get away after the riots. He said, "Hindus were killed in the Muzaffarnagar riots. More than 60 Hindus were killed and over 1,500 were jailed....This is the 'identity' of SP.
He also tweeted the same. He wrote a caption which reads in Hindi, "मुजफ्फरनगर दंगे में हिंदुओं को बंदूकों से भूना गया था। 60 से अधिक हिंदू मारे गए थे और 1,500 से अधिक जेल में बंद किए गए थे। गांव के गांव खाली हो गए थे। सपा की यही 'पहचान' है."
[English Translation: Hindus were gunned down in the Muzaffarnagar riots. More than 60 Hindus were killed, over 1,500 were put behind bars, and villages had gotten empty. This is the 'identity' of SP.]
He shared the same post on Facebook as well.
It is being widely shared on Facebook.
Claim:
UP CM Yogi Adityanath claimed that 60 Hindus were killed during the Muzaffarnagar riots.
Fact Check:
The Logical Indian Fact Check team verified the claim and found it to be misleading. The clashes between the Hindu and Muslim communities in Muzaffarnagar resulted in 62 deaths, including 42 Muslims and 20 Hindus.
We did an open keyword search and found the data of the Muzaffarnagar riots on Wikipedia. According to it, at least 62 deaths including 42 Muslims and 20 Hindus, were reported during the riots. Also, 1000 arrests were made related to the Muzzaffarnagar riots case.
We then looked for media reports to validate the data. We found an article of Times Of India dated 24 September 2013. The title of the report reads, "Government releases data of riot victims identifying religion." This report mentioned government data of communal riots victims (religion-wise). According to it, in 2013(till September), 479 incidents of communal violence were reported, in which 107 people were killed.1,647 people including 794 Hindus, 703 Muslims and 200 policemen were reportedly injured. The Muzaffarnagar riots recorded the highest casualties at 62 deaths, of which 42 victims were Muslims and 20 Hindus. Media houses like The Economic Times and Hindustan Times had also reported the same.
Muzaffarnagar Riots:
This riot started with Hindu (Jaat)-Muslim community violence in Kawwal village of Muzaffarnagar district, which claimed 62 lives. The clash between the entire Jat and Muslim community started on 27 August 2013. According to the reports, a Jaat community girl was allegedly molested by a Muslim youth, Shahnawaz Qureshi in Kawwal village. After that, the girl's cousin brothers Gaurav and Sachin beat up the Muslim youth to death. In retaliatory violence, Muslims lynched Gaurav and Sachin to death. However, according to the report of NDTV dated 14 September 2013, Sachin's sister Ritu said that she had never been to Kawwal nor did she know Shahnawaz. She spoke of harassment by the Muslim youth of Kawwal in a general sense. Later, a curfew was imposed there during the riots. The army was called. 1000 Army personnel, 10,000 PAC personnel, 1300 CRPF personnel and 1200 Rapid Action Force personnel were deployed to control the situation in the city. The curfew lasted for about 20 days. A total of 503 cases related to violence were registered against 1455 people.
It is evident from media reports that the claim made by UP CM Yogi Adityanath during a rally of 60 Hindus being killed during the Muzaffarnagar riots is misleading. A total of 62 deaths were reported which includes 42 Muslims and 20 Hindus. Hence, the viral claim is misleading.
If you have any news that you believe needs to be fact-checked, please email us at factcheck@thelogicalindian.com or WhatsApp at 6364000343.
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