Fact Check: Muslim youth responsible for attack on tribal man in Wayanad? Know the truth
A video of a man being dragged by a car on a road in Kerala has gone viral.
Claim: A Muslim youth is the perpetrator of the attack on a tribal man in Wayanad who was dragged by a car on the road.
Fact: The claim is misleading. The accused in the case includes members of Muslim and Hindu communities.
Hyderabad: Controversy erupted in Wayanad, Kerala, after the body of Chundamma, an 80-year-old tribal woman, was carried to her funeral in an autorickshaw because an ambulance was not available.
Another disturbing event followed the incident in Chemmad in Kerala where a tribal man was dragged on the road for half a kilometre. An alleged video of the incident has been circulating on social media, with the claim that mainstream media is silent about the incident because the alleged accused in the incident is a Muslim, and it occurred in Congress MP Priyanka Gandhi’s constituency.
The video shows a person being dragged by the passenger of a moving red Maruti Celerio car, which eventually stops at a distance.
An X user shared the video and wrote, “Mainstream media is silent because, Muhammad Riyas (Muslim) in Wayanad Dragged Tribal Youth by Car in Brutal Assault – Priyanka Gandhi is busy pli-stains but not on this Incident in Her Constituency.. (sic)” ( Archive )
Fact Check
NewsMeter found that the claim is misleading. The accused in the case belong to both Muslim and Hindu communities.
A reverse image search led us to a report by The Hindu published on December 16, 2024. It was titled ‘Tribal man dragged by Car in Kerala’s Wayanad, police register case’. It contained a screen grab of the viral video, featuring the red car and the man being dragged along its side.
The report stated that the victim, 49-year-old Mathan, a resident of the Chemmad tribal hamlet, suffered severe injuries to his arms and legs and is currently undergoing treatment at the Government Medical College Hospital in Mananthavady. The incident happened in Wayanad, which is Priyanka Gandhi’s constituency.
According to the report, the police have identified the car’s owner as Muhammad Riyas, a resident of Malappuram’s Kuttipuram, through vehicle documents. However, the report also stated that it is unclear if Muhammad Riyas was driving at the time of the incident, with eyewitnesses reporting that five people were in the vehicle.
Further, a keyword search uncovered a report by Mathrubhumi on December 18, 2024, titled ‘Lookout notice issued for two accused in Wayanad tribal youth dragging case’.
According to the report, two individuals, Abhiram K Sujith (23) and Muhammad Arshid (25), both from Pachilakkad, have been arrested in connection with the case. The report stated that Abhiram and Arshid were remanded to the Special Court in Mananthavady, which handles cases under the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act.
Additionally, the police have issued lookout notices for two more suspects: TP Nabeel Kamar (25) and K Vishnu, residents of Panamaram in Wayanad.
We found several other reports, including from the Deccan Chronicle and The Indian Express, which also stated that Muhammed Arshad and Abhiram S were arrested in the incident, and the police are now searching for Nabeel and Vishnu. None of the reports mentioned a communal motive behind the incident.
Therefore, the claim that a Muslim youth was responsible for the assault on the tribal man in Wayanad is misleading. The accused in the case include members from both Muslim and Hindu communities.
(This story was originally published by News Meter, and republished by english.varthabharati.in as part of the Shakti Collective)
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Delhi polls: BJP issues 'chargesheet' against Kejriwal; vows to remove AAP from power
New Delhi (PTI): Senior BJP leader Anurag Thakur on Monday issued a "chargesheet" against AAP national convenor Arvind Kejriwal, accusing him of turning Delhi into a "corruption lab" through a series of "scams".
No immediate reaction was available from the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) over the allegations of the BJP leader.
Ahead of the Delhi Assembly polls, the state unit of the BJP has formed a "chargesheet committee" that has so far issued detailed reports listing the alleged failures of the ruling AAP MLAs.
"What kind of a party is this which came to power promising to give corruption-free government but was involved in eight to nine scams related to the liquor policy, Delhi Jal Board, DTC, Waqf Board," Thakur charged.
"Ghotale Pe Ghotala, Kejriwal Ne Banaya Delhi Ko Bhrashtachar Ki Prayogshala" (Kejriwal turned Delhi into a laboratory of corruption with scams), Thakur gave the slogan and asserted that the BJP will remove the AAP from power in Delhi.
The elections for the 70-member Delhi Assembly are due to be held in February next year.
The former Union minister also targeted the AAP and Kejriwal over education and health, alleging it failed to open new Mohalla Clinics and hospitals and did not use the Centre's funds to boost the city's healthcare infrastructure.
He charged that the smog tower in Connaught Place, which was supposed to provide relief from air pollution, was lying defunct although the AAP government spent crores of rupees on advertisement.
He cited water shortage, lack of sanitation, damaged roads, and other issues to corner the ruling AAP.
Thakur also alleged that the AAP has been supporting "anti-national" forces and Kejriwal questioned India's surgical strikes. He said the party got the support of "Khalistanti elements" during the Punjab polls.
