Man Killed Over Child-Lifting Rumors was Hindu, not Muslim

A video of crowd beating a man is going viral on the social media platform X, accompanied by claims that in India, the Hindu majority is targeting the Muslim minority through such acts. The video is being shared with the intent of portraying Islamic-majority countries as treating their minorities well, while India allegedly mistreats its minorities. This narrative appears to be aimed at tarnishing the image of India and Hindus both domestically and globally.

Al Faris Emirati claimed, ‘An Indian Muslim was beaten by dozens of Hindus. Beaten with wood, pelted with stones. ‎How heartbreaking. ‎Far different from the treatment of Islamic countries towards minorities.’

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Fact Check

We began our fact-checking process by conducting a reverse image search of the viral video. This led us to a YouTube video shared by Mirror Now on February 6, 2020. In the video, the reporter stated that the incident occurred in the Dhar district of Madhya Pradesh, where a mob of around 200 people lynched seven individuals. Out of the seven, six were gravely injured, and one succumbed to his injuries. According to Mirror Now, based on initial police reports, the incident stemmed from rumors of child abduction and a monetary dispute. The police registered an FIR against three accused individuals.

Based on the details provided by Mirror Now, we conducted a Google search using relevant keywords and found a report published by India Today on February 6, 2020. The report revealed that the Dhar district administration had arrested three individuals—Ramesh, Sastiya, and Galiya—for allegedly lynching a farmer and critically injuring five others in Khirkiya village.

According to the India Today report, the deceased, Ganesh, along with his associates, had lent ₹50,000 to five daily wage earners. The borrowers had promised to work on the lenders’ farms as repayment but failed and returned to the village, citing attendance at a wedding as the reason. When Ganesh and his group demanded repayment, the borrowers called them to Dhar district to collect their money. Upon their arrival, Ganesh and his associates were attacked with stones and sticks by the accused.

The police registered cases of murder and attempted murder against 40 others, who were identified through video footage. The Tirla Police used tear gas shells to disperse the mob. All the accused were daily wage earners, and no religious motive was reported in connection with the incident.

In addition to the India Today report, corroborating accounts from The New Indian Express and Business Standard confirmed that the mob lynching in Madhya Pradesh was unrelated to any communal or religious issues.

Conclusion: In the Dhar district of Madhya Pradesh, a mob of 200 people lynched a man named Ganesh to death and injured six others over rumors of child abduction and a monetary dispute. There was no religious angle to the incident, contrary to viral claims suggesting otherwise.