Murder Of Youth For Refusing To Play Holi Peddled With False Communal Spin
CLAIM: A Muslim youth was lynched in a library by Hindutva men in Rajasthan for refusing to play Holi.
FACT CHECK: BOOM found that three youths killed Hansraj Meena in Rajasthan's Dausa district after he refused to apply colour on them. The deceased and the murder accused in this incident belong to the tribal community.
A viral video claiming a Muslim man was lynched inside a library by Hindutva men in Rajasthan for refusing to celebrate Holi is false.
BOOM found that the victim a 25-year-old youth, Hansraj Meena is from the tribal community and the accused are also from the same community. The communal narrative in the video is false.
The video shows three individuals attacking a youngster inside a library. It is being shared with the caption, "In Rajasthan, a Muslim man was beaten to death by Hindus inside a library for refusing to play Holi."
A Muslim man was lynched inside a library by Hindutva men in Rajasthan, India, because he refused to play Holi pic.twitter.com/Bba3TF09Tr
— Zia Uddin Jabed (@ziajabed97) March 14, 2025
Archive link.
Hindus are the most dirtiest creatures on earth.
— Mohammed Ullah (@Mohamme61667711) March 14, 2025
With their fucking hindutva!
A Muslim man was lynched inside a library by Hindutva men in Rajasthan, India, because he refused to play Holi.
pic.twitter.com/xITAB4PALK
Archive link.
Fact-check
BOOM conducted a reverse image search on key frames from the viral video, and found a news report by Dainik Bhaskar dated March 14, 2025, which also featured the same video footage.
According to the report, on the afternoon of March 12, a fight broke out among students over playing with colours at a public library in Ralwas village, Dausa district, Rajasthan.
During the dispute, 25-year-old Hansraj Meena refused to participate in the colour festivities, which led to three students—Ashok, Bablu, and Kaluram—assaulting him.
Meena, who lost consciousness from the beating, was taken to the government hospital in Lalsot, where doctors later declared him dead.
ASP Dinesh Aggarwal from Lalsot provided details to Indian Express, confirming that the altercation occurred around 4 pm on March 12, resulting in Meena suffering a head injury, which led to his death. The attackers were identified as Ashok, Kalu, and Bablu, as shown in the CCTV footage.
Rajasthan police deny communal narrative
BOOM also reached out to Ramgarh Pachwara SHO Ramsharan Gurjar who denied the communal claim.
"On March 12, a fight broke out between boys of the Meena community in Ralwas village over applying colour. Nobody from any other community was involved in this incident. The deceased and the accused belong to the Meena community. So far, one accused Bablu has been arrested in this case, the search for the other two accused is on," Gurjar told BOOM.
(This story was originally published by boomlive.in, and republished by english.varthabharati.in as part of the Shakti Collective)
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People must do politics; elected representatives must work, says Actor Prakash Raj
Kalaburagi: Actor and activist Prakash Raj has said that in a democracy, politics must be done by the people, while elected representatives are meant to work and serve after winning elections.
Speaking at the launch of Vartha Bharati's Kalyana Karnataka edition in Kalaburagi on Saturday, Prakash Raj said that once representatives are elected, their only responsibility is service. “This is our tax, our country. Service is the only job of people’s representatives. They come to seek votes every five years; the people do not,” he said.
Releasing the newspaper’s special issue at the event, he asserted that the distinction between people and politicians must never be reversed. “This is our country. Citizens must continuously engage in politics, and politicians must continuously work. Never change this order. Politics belongs to the people,” he said.
ALSO READ: Kalaburagi: ‘Vartha Bharati’ Kalyana Karnataka edition launched
Quoting writer P. Lankesh, Prakash Raj said newspapers, media, artists, and citizens must act as a permanent opposition. “They must be the voice of the people without seeking the patronage of the ruling party. Only then can they work fearlessly,” he said. He stressed the need to clearly tell today’s society who must engage in politics.
Referring to regional imbalance, he said Karnataka has become Bengaluru-centric and confined largely to southern Karnataka. With Vartha Bharati entering the Kalyana Karnataka region, he said the newspaper must contribute to the region’s development by consistently reporting its issues with a strong voice.
Prakash Raj also spoke about the role of independent media, saying that anyone can be swept away in a flood, including dead fish, but to swim against the current requires life. “Independent media have that life. Ravish Kumar, The Wire, and Vartha Bharati have the courage to swim against the flood,” he said.
He warned that fear strengthens authoritarianism. “If we are not afraid, they will be afraid,” he said, alleging that institutions such as the police, Election Commission, courts, and media are being pressured, silenced, and manipulated for political benefit. Expressing concern over the denial of bail to Umar Khalid, he said there is a visible lack of conscience in institutions meant to deliver justice to the people.
Recalling the early years after Independence, Prakash Raj said there was once fear of the police but also faith in the judiciary. “There was confidence that injustice would be addressed in court. Today, that faith no longer exists,” he said. He alleged that Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the Bharatiya Janata Party are responsible for the present situation.
Using a metaphor, he said India is like a pond disturbed by a demon within it. “A lotus blooms on the surface, that is the BJP. We are fighting the lotus, but the real fight should be against the RSS, the root power beneath,” he said.
Drawing parallels with past global authoritarian regimes, he said leaders like Hitler and Mussolini headed political parties and could be defeated electorally. “The RSS is not a political party. Defeating the BJP alone is not enough. The roots must be uprooted,” he said, adding that despite changes in appearance, the ideological growth remains unchanged.
Prakash Raj also raised concerns over Hindi imposition, delimitation, and what he described as political oppression of southern states such as Kerala, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Telangana, and Andhra Pradesh in the name of elections. He said people must recognise who is responsible for this oppression and understand the role of newspapers like Vartha Bharati in identifying and exposing it.
The event also marked the formal launch of Vartha Bharati's Kalyana Karnataka edition in Kalaburagi.
