New Delhi, Aug 15: Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Wednesday urged people to love and respect fellow Indians for the nation's development, saying those dividing the country on religious grounds are not its well-wishers.

"People are made to fight in the name of religion. One religion is instigated against another. The nation is our mother and we are its children irrespective of the religion or caste. A house where people living together are fighting will not progress," Kejriwal said in his speech on the 72nd Independence Day.

He said those who instigated one religion against the other were not the well-wishers of the country.

The Aam Aadmi Party leader also asked the people to recall the dreams of freedom fighters as the nation completes 71 years of freedom.

"A number of people lost their lives to give freedom to the nation with a vision for the country and the people. Can we say that we have fulfilled those dreams and visions?"

He said a number of countries got independence after India but had surged past India in growth.

"India is still counted among backward countries. We are considered a developing nation and not developed," he said.

Counting the issues faced by the people, he said a large number of people were illiterate, poor and lacked basic facilities like electricity, water and health.

Speaking about the achievements of his government in the last three years, he said it had proved that things can be improved. "All we need is a clear intention."

He urged people to work on the education sector on war footing so that no one is left uneducated.

"If we only dedicate one year to improving education, no can stop us from being number one in the world. No nation can develop without education," he said.


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.



Claim: The video shows people thrashing a Muslim man for urinating on a Kumbh Mela poster in Raebareli, Uttar Pradesh.

Fact: The claim is false. Raebareli's Bachhrawan Police Station SHO OP Tiwari confirmed to NewsMeter that the accused’s name is Vinod and he belongs to the Hindu community.

Hyderabad: In the context of the ongoing Maha Kumbh Mela in Uttar Pradesh, a video has surfaced showing a group of people assaulting a man while using abusive language against him. Those sharing the video claim the man being assaulted is a Muslim man who was allegedly caught by the locals for urinating on photos of Maha Kumbh and Hindu deities displayed on a wall.

An X user, Baba Banaras, who has been caught several times indulging in misinformation, shared the video and wrote, “Rae Bareilly, UP: Abdul Urinates on Photos of Mahakumbh and Hindu Deities on Wall, Caught by Locals. (sic)” (Archive)

Fact Check

NewsMeter found that the claim is false. While the video is from Raebareli, Uttar Pradesh, our investigation revealed that the man accused of urinating belongs to the Hindu community.

We conducted a keyword search and found reports by Amar Ujala and India Daily published on January 11. Both reports mentioned the viral video which captured the assault.

According to these reports, the incident allegedly occurred on the evening of January 10, 2025, at the main intersection of Bachhrawan town in Raebareli. Locals caught the accused and assaulted him, while someone at the scene recorded the incident and shared the video on social media.

Neither report named the accused nor specified his community. However, mentioned that inspector OP Tiwari stated an investigation into the viral video is ongoing.

We also found another X user sharing the video with the same communal claim. However, the X handle of Raebareli police replying to the post clarified that the man being assaulted in the video is Vinod, a hawker from Kannauj district, who, in an intoxicated state, urinated near the wall, unaware of the presence of the Kumbh poster. The reply also clarified that the claim that Vinod belongs to a different community is false and baseless.

NewsMeter reached out to Bachhrawan SHO OP Tiwari, who refuted the claim that the accused belongs to the Muslim community. He clarified, “The accused’s name is Vinod, also known as Dinesh, son of Bharat, and he belongs to the Hindu community.”

Tiwari also shared a press release about the incident issued by the Bachhrawan Police Station. The statement confirmed that the accused, Vinod alias Dinesh, was arrested in accordance with the law and presented before the court.

Therefore, we conclude that the claim of a Muslim man urinating on a Kumbh Mela poster in Raebareli, UP, is false.

(This story was originally published by newsmeter.in, and republished by english.varthabharati.in as part of the Shakti Collective)