Many different videos are being shared on social media with the claim that the administration in Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh, beat up Kashmiri Muslim youths and threw away their belongings. By sharing the video, a communal angle is being deliberately inserted into the incident by highlighting the religion of the Kashmiri youth. People are sharing the video with captions like, “They want Kashmir, but not Kashmiris.” It is also being claimed that Kashmiri youth are being stopped from selling goods.
Radical handle Nargis Bano (Archived link) sharing the video on X platform (formerly Twitter), wrote, “You all should listen to the pain of our people of Kashmir. The employees of Lucknow Municipal Corporation threw the dry fruits of Kashmiris selling dry fruits on the roadside and treated them very poorly. After all, why so much hatred towards the people of Kashmir?”
हमारे कश्मीर के लोगो का दर्द आप सभी को सुनना चाहिए ,
— Nargis Bano (@NargisBano70) December 17, 2023
लखनऊ नगर निगम के कर्मचारियों ने सड़क के किनारे ड्राई फ्रूट्स बेचने वाले कश्मीरियों के ड्राई फ्रूट सड़क पर फेंक दिए और उनके साथ बहुत घटिया सुलूक किया ,
आखिर कश्मीर के लोगो से इतनी नफरत क्यो ? pic.twitter.com/gXoQ00kXj9
Co-founder of the propaganda news portal Alt News, Mohammad Zubair (Archived link), sharing the video wrote, “Kashmiri vendor slapped by @/Uppolice.”
Kashmiri vendor slapped by @Uppolice https://t.co/duxsXus7iS
— Mohammed Zubair (@zoo_bear) December 17, 2023
Satya Prakash Bharti (Archived link) wrote, “Dry fruits of Muslim man were thrown – Said – They don’t even understand that these are our children, there is no work in Kashmir.” He further added “Municipal Corporation employees beat up Muslim youth who came to Lucknow from Jammu and Kashmir to sell dry fruits. Throwed all the dry fruits on the road.”
"मुस्लिम व्यक्ति के ड्राई फ्रूट फेंक दिए गए- बोला- यह भी नहीं समझते बच्चे हैं हमारे,कश्मीर में कोई काम नहीं है"
— Satya Prakash Bharti (@Satyamooknayak) December 17, 2023
जम्मू कश्मीर से ड्राई फ्रूट बेचने लखनऊ आये मुस्लिम युवकों की नगर निगम के कर्मचारियों ने पिटाई की। सारे ड्राई फ्रूट सड़क पर फेंक दिए। pic.twitter.com/679t7uHIEM
Leftist handle Ashok Kumar Pandey (Archived link) wrote, “For years, Kashmiris have been coming to the plains in winter to sell shawls, dry fruits etc. Now those who talk about complete freedom from building houses to doing business in Kashmir want to stop Kashmiris from selling goods in their areas. Is good.”
बरसों से सर्दियों में कश्मीरी मैदानी इलाक़ों शॉल, सूखे मेवे वगैरह बेचने आते रहे हैं।
— Ashok Kumar Pandey अशोक اشوک (@Ashok_Kashmir) December 18, 2023
अब कश्मीर में घर बनाने से लेकर व्यापार तक की पूरी आज़ादी की बात करने वाले कश्मीरियों को अपने इलाक़ों में सामान बेचने से रोकना चाहते हैं।
अच्छा है।
Islamist propagandist Muhammad Tanvir (Archived link) wrote, “The police havoc on Kashmiri Muslims selling dry fruits on the roadside continues this year also. The police threw the goods of the Kashmiri dry fruits seller on the road, beat him and took him away in the car. Indian government wants Kashmir but does not want Kashmiri Muslims. Government oppression continues on Kashmiris who support their families by selling dry fruits.”
उत्तरप्रदेश लखनऊ
— Muhammad Tanveer | تنوير (@Tanvirpost) December 17, 2023
सड़क किनारे ड्राई फ्रूट्स बेच रहे कश्मीरी मुसलमानों पर पुलिस का कहर इस साल भी जारी है।
पुलिस ने कश्मीरी ड्राई फ्रूट्स विक्रेता के सामान सड़क पर फेंक दिए और पीटते हुए गाड़ी में ठूंस कर उठा ले गई।
भारत सरकार को कश्मीर तो चाहिए लेकिन कश्मीरी मुसलमान नही चाहिए।… pic.twitter.com/RNKPOatmoD
Propagandist Kavish Aziz (Archived link) wrote, “They want Kashmir but do not know how to love Kashmiris. The Municipal Corporation team misbehaved with the youth who had come from Kashmir to sell dry fruits in Lucknow. All their goods were thrown on the road.”
इनको कश्मीर चाहिए लेकिन कश्मीरी से मोहब्बत करना यह नहीं जानते हैं।
— Kavish Aziz (@azizkavish) December 17, 2023
लखनऊ में कश्मीर से ड्राई फ्रूट बेचने आए युवकों के साथ नगर निगम की टीम ने बदतमीजी किया। उनका सारा माल सड़क पर फेंक दिया। pic.twitter.com/BunMjc8oer
Islamist handle Md Asif Khan (Archived link) sharing three different videos from the incident wrote, “Poor Kashmiri dry fruit vendors were harassed by Lucknow Municipality team. Why are they targeting these poor people?”
Poor Kashmiri dry fruit vendors were harassed by Lucknow Municipality team.
— Md Asif Khan (@imMAK02) December 17, 2023
Why are they targeting these poor people? pic.twitter.com/7hqIUeA7MN
Another handle Mobin LLB (Archived link) wrote, “How will Ram Rajya be formed? Kashmir is considered the paradise of India, and why is there so much hatred among the people there? The goods of this Kashmiri who was selling dry fruits on the roadside in Lucknow were thrown away again. Why this kind of treatment with Kashmiris in Lucknow?”
कैसे बन पाएगा राम राज्य?
— Mobin LLB (@immobink) December 17, 2023
कश्मीर को भारत का स्वर्ग माना जाता है,और वहा के लोगो से इतनी नफरत क्यों है?
लखनऊ में सड़क किनारे ड्राई फ्रूट बेच रहे इस कश्मीरी का सामान फिर फेंका गया.
लखनऊ में कश्मीरियों के साथ इस तरह का सलूक क्यों? pic.twitter.com/r2AfJFSWce
Also Read: No, Muslims Are Not Making The Idol of Shri Ram in Ayodhya, False Claim Viral on Social Media
Fact Check
At the beginning of our research, to know the complete picture behind the incident, we searched relevant keywords on Google and found a report published on Dainik Bhaskar. The report reveals that that Kashmiri Muslim youths were selling goods on the footpath of Gomti Nagar Gandhi Setu. In view of this, the Municipal Corporation launched a campaign to remove their carts from there. After this the Kashmiris got enraged and started creating ruckus. Not only this, they also beat up Vipul, the driver of tractor number 2921, who was working with the Municipal Corporation squad, and also tore his clothes. The driver suffered some injuries. He got himself first aid from the nearest hospital and was discharged.
Apart from this, a Kashmiri youth climbed onto the tractor and started throwing dry fruits on the road. Some Kashmiri youths surrounded the Municipal Corporation squad and started pushing. On receiving information about the ruckus, the police reached the spot. They took control of the situation and the Kashmiri youth were chased away. Police have arrested seven Kashmiri youth and issued challan against them.
Vip movement tha नगर निगम ने हटने को कहा तो धौंस दिखा कर उलझने लगे।
— Satyam Mishra/सत्यम् मिश्र (@satyammlive) December 17, 2023
माल खुद फेंका था इन लोगों ने,जब अपने राज्य से दूर दूसरे राज्य में ऐसा कर रहे हैं तो समझा जा सकता है कश्मीर में क्या करते होंगे।#Lucknow https://t.co/MuTxqD8Sn3 pic.twitter.com/cCGXyj4twd
Lucknow Police has also issued a statement regarding the matter. They said that Gomti Bridge is the VIP route between 1090 intersection and Samtamulak. And this area is facing the problem of encroachment. Many people sell dry fruits here, encroachment in this regard has already been removed in the past. The Municipal Corporation went to remove the encroachment because the convoy of the chief guest was there this morning. On receiving the information, the police used necessary force and brought all the youth to the police station and challan was issued to them. In this regard, all the youth have been told that this is a VIP route, do not encroach here.
थाना गोमतीनगर क्षेत्रान्तर्गत गोमती पुल पर नगर निगम टीम द्वारा अतिक्रमण हटाने के सम्बन्ध में @east_dcp द्वारा दी गई बाईट।@Uppolice pic.twitter.com/Qy3nxScsdC
— LUCKNOW POLICE (@lkopolice) December 17, 2023
Additionally, in our fact check research, we found that the Municipal Corporation had earlier issued action against Kashmiri Muslim youths for encroaching on the road. An ETV report published on November 29, 2023, said that DCP Aparna Rajat Kaushik of Lucknow Police Commissionerate has said that no person is allowed to set up shops on some roads of the city as they are complete no vending zones. She also told that the vending zones have been created by the Municipal Corporation. Street vendors and vendors have been allowed to open shops there. Every year, the Superintendent of Municipal Corporation Zone-4 forbids Kashmiri youth from selling dry fruits at Gomti Bridge and Samtamulak intersection because this area is close to the Chief Minister’s residence and also falls in the no vending zone. To show strictness, we even confiscate the goods but return them later.
Moreover, we also got a list of pre-determined vending zones. According to this list, street vendors have been allowed to sell goods at 239 places.
नगर आयुक्त ने इस घटना के बाद कश्मीरी युवकों को सौंपी वेंडिंग जोन की सूची pic.twitter.com/oUHlQw87Y1
— Vivek Rai (@vivekraijourno) November 26, 2023
In conclusion of the report, it is clear from the research that Kashmiri youth were chased away after misbehaving with the Municipal Corporation officials. Notably, the Kashmiri Muslim youths were neither harassed because they were Muslims nor were they stopped from selling goods. They are prohibited from selling goods in no vending zones.
| Claim | Kashmiri Muslim youth were beaten up and stopped from selling goods in Lucknow |
| Claimed by | Mohammad Zubair, Ashok Kumar Pandey, Kavish Aziz, Muhammad Tanvir and others |
| Fact Check | Misleading |
