Leftist media outlets like Scroll.in, The Quint and The News Minute (TNM), reporting about a recent incident in Telangana, has portrayed a group of men attacking one Imran as a “Hindu mob” while brushing aside the role of Imran and his family in inciting the tension.
The incident occurred on 7 May 2023 in the Nasrapur village of Telangana, but it came to light after the video went viral on social media.
What Actually Happened?
On 7 May 2023, a gas cylinder delivery agent named Lingam went to Imran Ahmed’s house in Narsapur to deliver a cylinder. Imran owns a small biriyani stall in the area.
Lingam, who was wearing a Hanuman Mala (a month-long ritual) at the time, asked Imran’s mother for the empty cylinder after delivering a full cylinder, which is a normal procedure. However, Imran’s mother refused to hand over the cylinder as there was a little bit of fuel left inside the cylinder and asked Lingam to come later. Lingam, whose job it is to collect the cylinder after delivering the full cylinder, stated that he is required by the rules to take the empty cylinder.
Lingam rightfully refused, but Imran’s mother started abusing the delivery agent Lingam. The two then got into a heated argument. Imran, who intervened during the argument, began assaulting Lingam with chappals and insulting the Hanuman Mala.
After Hindu organizations learned of the incident, members of several Hindu organizations, including the BJP, RSS, Hindu Vahini, and others, gathered at the scene, and a fight ensued, in which Imran was attacked.
How TNM And Other Leftist Propaganda Outlets Portrayed The Incident
When the cause of the tense situation is Imran, who slippered the Hanuman devotee during an auspicious time, The News Minute and other outlets that covered the incident mentioned Imran’s instigation and assault as a minor event while focusing on the Hindu group attacking Imran as the main story.
The Quint which published the story never reported that it was Imran who started the assault by slippering the delivery agent wearing a ‘Mala’. The Quint, Scroll and several other news outlets that carried the story incorrectly reported that Imran’s sister miscarried as a result of an altercation, which was refused by the local police.
The News Minute, which has never used phrases like Muslim mob or Islamic terrorism to stereotype the Muslim community, has used phrases like “Hindu Mob”, “Hanuman devotees are perpetrators”, and “swamis attacked Imran” several times in their articles, attempting to stereotype Hindu Hanuman devotees as mobsters.
Though the entire violent episode would not have occurred if Imran and his mother had returned the empty cylinder as is customary, The News Minute article which has been edited by its Editor-in-Chief Dhanya Rajendran has made it appear as if a Hindu group went to a Biriyani shop and started attacking Imran for no apparent reason.
Click here to subscribe to The Commune on Telegram and get the best stories of the day delivered to you personally.