Allegations Surface of Lucknow Municipal Corporation Halting Kashmiri Muslim Youths Dry Fruit Sales Based on Identity is Baseless

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Only Fact Team
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Viral video shows Kashmiri Muslim Youth in Lucknow being chased away for selling dry fruits.

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?”

Co-founder of the propaganda news portal Alt News, Mohammad Zubair (Archived link), sharing the video wrote, “Kashmiri vendor slapped by @/Uppolice.”

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.”

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.”

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.”

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.”

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?”

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?”

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.

The Kashmiri Muslim Youth were chased away in Lucknow for selling dry fruits in no vending zone.
Dainik Bhaskar report

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.

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.

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.

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 byMohammad Zubair, Ashok Kumar Pandey, Kavish Aziz, Muhammad Tanvir and others
Fact CheckMisleading

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