Moradabad: Imam Akram Was Not Murdered, Claims of Communal Angle Also False

An incident involving the death of Imam Akram came to light on June 11 in Moradabad, Uttar Pradesh. The incident is being shared on X with claims that the Imam of the mosque, Maulana Akram, was shot dead, and communal tension is being attributed to the event.

Handle Banda e Khuda wrote, “Attack on Minorities continues in India. A mosque’s imam, Maulana Akram, was shot dead in Uttar Pradesh’s Moradabad in the early hours of Tuesday, June 11. Unidentified miscreants called Maulana Akram outside his house at 4 a.m. in the morning and shot him in the chest.” (Archived link)

Mini Nair blaming the BJP and RSS wrote, “BJP RSS wants to gain back votes in Uttar Pradesh????” (Archived link)

Fake news peddler Sadaf Afreen wrote, “Mosque Imam Maulana Akram was shot dead in Moradabad! Goon mafia has increased in Uttar Pradesh! Recently the President of Jamiat was murdered in Pratapgarh.” (Archived link)

Meer Faisal wrote, “Maulana Akram, the Imam of a mosque, was shot dead in the early hours of Tuesday, June 11 in Moradabad, Uttar Pradesh. Unknown miscreants called Maulana Akram outside his house at 4 am and shot him in the chest.” (Archived link)

Saba Khan wrote, “Maulana Akram, Imam of a masjid in Moradabad was shot dead by unidentified miscreants outside his house at 4 am in Bhensia Village of Moradabad District. The assailants have called him out of the mosque and then shot him dead from a point-blank range. Maulana was resident of Rampur District and was living in Bhensia Village for the last 15 years working as an Imam if the masjid.” (Archived link)

Shams Tabrez Qasim, Chief Editor in Millat Times, wrote, “Uttar Pradesh has turned into a jungle raj, Maulanas are being murdered there continuously. Two days ago, the President of Jamiat was murdered in Pratapgarh and today news is coming from Moradabad where the Imam of the mosque, Maulana Akram, has been shot dead.” (Archived link)

Samiullah Khan wrote, “What’s Going-ON in Yogi’s UP ?! Another Islamic scholar from Uttar Pradesh India murdered! Maulana Akram, was shot dead in UP’s Moradabad in the early hours of Tuesday, June 11. Unidentified Goons called Maulana Akram outside his home and shot him in the chest.” (Archived link)

The claim regarding maulana’s death was also propagated by other handles like Ansar Iman (Archived link) and Dr. Meeraj Hussain (Archived link).

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Fact Check

At the start of our fact-check research, we conducted a Google keyword search using relevant keywords. The search led us to a report by Dainik Bhaskar published on July 9, 2024. According to the report, the incident of Maulana’s death took place on June 11 in Bhainsiya village in the Katghar police station area of Moradabad. On the morning of June 11, the body of Maulana Mohammad Akram, the Imam of Bhainsiya’s big mosque, was found lying near his house. The police also found a pistol lying near the body.

Furthermore, about a month after the death, the family members found a suicide note written in Urdu and handed it over to the police. The note stated that Maulana wanted to marry again, but the family had a dispute regarding his second marriage. This is why the Imam committed suicide. In the note, the Imam revealed many of his secrets, including his desire to marry again despite opposition from his family.

Moreover, the report by Amar Ujala reveals that the suicide note, written in Urdu and Persian, was translated by the police. After translating the letter, it was found that Imam Akram had written about his desire to marry again and how his family opposed his marriage. The family members also said that the suicide note was in Maulana’s handwriting. SSP Satpal Antil confirmed that the handwriting was indeed the Imam’s, as verified by the forensic lab report. Further action will be taken in this case after the report is reviewed.

Conclusion: Our fact-check research revealed that the claim of Imam Akram’s murder by goons in Moradabad, UP, is false. Imam Akram wanted to remarry, but a family dispute over his second marriage led him to commit suicide.

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