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  • 2021-08-11 (xsd:date)
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  • Video does not show Indian politician beaten up for taking down the saffron flag (en)
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  • A video has been viewed thousands of times in social media posts claiming it shows a mob beating Ramkesh Meena, a member of the legislative assembly for the Indian state of Rajasthan, after he allegedly tore down a saffron flag on July 22, 2021. The claim is false; the video was shot during protests in 2018. As of August 11, 2021, there are no reports of Meena being beaten after the saffron flag was torn down. Saffron lovers chased and beat MLA Ramkesh Meena who took down the flag, reads a Facebook post from July 24. The blurry video -- which has been viewed more than 10,000 times -- shows crowds shouting and wielding weapons as they chase a man dressed in white. Screenshot of a misleading post taken on Aug 8, 2021 The video was also shared here and here on Twitter and here and here on YouTube alongside a similar claim. The posts circulated after a group of unidentified men torn down a saffron flag atop Amagarh fort in Jaipur in Rajasthan state on July 22. The saffron flag, most associated with Hinduism, was torn down in Meena's presence, Indian newspaper The Free Press Journal reported. The Meena community from which Ramkesh Meena hails considers the Amagarh fort as their heritage. The Hindu ideology group RSS, supported by the ruling party BJP, hoisted their saffron flag atop the fort triggering the local tribals. Meena also tweeted his interview with a news channel describing the incident where he mentions that people from Hindu groups RSS and Bajrang Dal broke statues on display and hoisted their flag. The BJP expressed strong criticism after the incident and two persons were subsequently booked in the matter, reported The Times Of India . However, the claim is false. A Google keyword search found a report by Indian news outlet News18 from April 7, 2018 which features a screenshot from the footage circulating on social media. According to the report, the video shows Meena beaten by a mob during nationwide protests by Dalit communities. Meena was also a part of the protests and he went to pacify the mob when it turned violent, before the mob proceeded to beat him up and tear his clothes, News18 reported. Screenshot of News18 taken on Aug 8, 2021 According to India Today , communities across the country were protesting over a Supreme Court judgment pertaining to the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, 1989 in March 2018. Meena refused to comment when asked by India Today if he was the man in the video. Meena, a former Congress MLA, was not in the power at that time and fought the 2018 general elections in the state independently. He is the current legislator from Gangapur, Rajasthan. Below is the comparison of screenshots showing the misleading Facebook post (left) and the image published by News18 (right). Comparison of misleading post and News18 article (en)
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