Did Bhatkal celebrate Pulwama attack?
A fact-check by VarthaBharati
Bhatkal: A video from Bhatkal, wherein people seem to be celebrating something has been doing the rounds on right wing social media groups in coastal Karnataka.
The video has mainly raised eyebrows of many due to the caption attached to the video, which says that the Muslim community of the town celebrated the attack on CRPF soldiers in Pulwama that killed as many as 44 soldiers, on February 14.
When Vartha Bharati came across the video on popular social messaging platform WhatsApp on Tuesday, we decided to fact-check the issue.
Looking at the video, a group of people mostly in two wheelers were going in a procession while honking their horns. They seem to be in a celebratory mood. Vartha Bharati spoke to several people in Bhatkal including the police department, to know the reality of this video.
It was found that the video is of February 15, a day after the dastardly Pulwama attack, and was of a celebration of a local sports club, which won a local major cricket tournament in Manki which is near Bhatkal.
We then contacted Imtiyaz Udyawar, President of Bhatkal Muslim Youth Federation, a body that overlooks all the sports activities of Muslim clubs in Bhatkal, to further confirm the reports.
Imtiyaz confirmed the reports and added “This was not any anti-social or anti-national rally, it is the video of members of a particular sports club celebrating their victory in the cricket tournament that was held on 15th February in Manki ”.
“The players of the team travelled from Manki to Bhatkal (about 25 Kms) without any celebrations, as we (BMYF) had instructed them not to take out rally or celebrate in the wake of Pulwama attack. When they reached their locality, they started celebrating in their area or what we can call their backyard. These kind of celebratory processions in two wheelers are very common in and around Bhatkal after sports tournaments”.
“Few miscreants trying to disturb the peace here shot the video and uploaded it on social media saying that Pulwama attack was celebrated in Bhatkal. Some of them filed complaint against the club too, and Bhatkal police has registered a case in this regard. But the case is of public nuisance only and nothing like anti-national or anti-social activities have been reported in FIR nor any such complaints were filed. But after a couple of days, this rumors started doing rounds” Imtiyaz said.
We then spoke to Bhatkal Circle Inspector, KL Ganesh, who too confirmed all the reports and added that an FIR was filed against the team members, but it was only for causing public nuisance. We have not found any anti-social, anti-national activity nor anything like that was reported to us” Ganesh confirmed.
“All such rumors are fake, these are attempts to disturb peace and harmony in the region, do not believe any such rumors” Inspector Ganesh further said.
After confirming from all the sources including the police department, it is very clear that the video actually is of a sports club celebrating its victory in a cricket tournament and a few opportunist miscreants used it as an opportunity to disturb and disrupt the peace and harmony in the region.
Instead, we also found that Umbrella organisation of local Muslim bodies, Majlis-e-Islah wa Tanzeem Bhatkal, condmned that Pulwama attack and submitted a memorandum to the PM urging him to give 'strong reply' to the perpetrators of the attck, while local Muslim youngsters brought together several local organisations and their members from all communities, for a solidarity candle march on Feb 16, which gathered a huge support from local youngsters from all organisations, in an absolute show of unity when it comes to such matters, which again eleminates any possibility of these youngsters indulging in any anti-national activities or supporting the attack.
It is also to be noted that the sports club in question could have also avoided such celebratory rallies in the wake of the shock that the nation was into after the Pulwama attack killing 44 of our brave soldiers.
We also call on our readers to not believe or forward any such messages, images or videos without verifying and fact-checking the issues. You can also contact us (english@varthabharati.in) with any such contents wherein we as a media house can fact-check the content and inform truth to people.
Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.
Accused gunman at correspondents' dinner was believed to be targeting top officials, Blanche says
Washington (AP): The accused gunman who tried to storm the ballroom at the White House Correspondents' Association dinner with guns and knives travelled across the country before the event and is believed to have been targeting members of the Trump administration, acting Attorney General Todd Blanche said Sunday.
Blanche also said officials believe the suspect traveled by train from California to Chicago and then on to Washington, where in recent days he checked in as a guest to the hotel where one of Washington's glitziest events was being held Saturday night.
Investigators have not publicly named the suspect, but two law enforcement officials familiar with the matter have identified him to The Associated Press as 31-year-old Cole Tomas Allen of Torrance, California.
Law enforcement officials who have examined the gunman's electronic devices and his writings preliminarily believe he intended to target administration members in attendance at the dinner. He attempted to charge into the cavernous ballroom at the Washington Hilton but was tackled to the ground in a chaotic scene that resulted in shots being fired, President Donald Trump being hurried off the stage and guests ducking for cover beneath their tables.
“It does appear that he did in fact set out to target folks who work in the administration, likely including the president,” Blanche told NBC's “Meet the Press.”
The suspect is believed to have purchased the firearms he carried within the last couple of years, Blanche said. He is not being cooperative and is expected to face multiple charges on Monday.
Video posted by Trump showed the suspect running past security barricades as Secret Service agents ran toward him. One officer was shot in a bullet-resistant vest but was recovering, officials said. The gunman was taken into custody and was not injured, but was being evaluated at a hospital, police said.
“He failed,” Blanche said on CBS's “Face the Nation.” “Law enforcement did their jobs.”
Social media posts that appear to match the suspect show he is a highly educated tutor and amateur video game developer.
A May 2025 profile photo of Allen appears to match the appearance of the man in a photo of the alleged attacker being taken into custody that was posted Saturday night by Trump. The photo, posted to the social networking site LinkedIn, shows him in a cap and gown after graduating with a master's degree in computer science from California State University, Dominguez Hills.
Allen earned a bachelor's degree in 2017 in mechanical engineering from the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena. He listed his involvement there in a Christian student fellowship and a campus group that battled with Nerf guns.
The shooting at the security barricades happened minutes after the event got underway.
The Secret Service and other authorities swarmed the room as guests ducked under tables by the hundreds. Gasps echoed through the ballroom as guests realized something was happening. Hundreds of journalists immediately got on phones to call in information.
“Out of the way, sir!” someone yelled. Others yelled to duck. From one corner, a “God Bless America” chant began as the president was escorted offstage. Outside the hotel, members of the National Guard and other authorities flooded the area as helicopters circled overhead.
After an initial attempt to resume the event, it was scrapped for the night and will be rescheduled.
_vb_69.jpeg)
