False: Video shows a worker from Bihar who was stabbed to death in Tamil Nadu.

By: Vivek J
March 13 2023

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Context

Videos of alleged attacks on Hindi-speaking migrant workers, especially from Bihar, in the southern state of Tamil Nadu have been going viral on social media since February end. These videos were even amplified by certain media houses and members of some political parties. They also claimed that the purported attack had created an atmosphere of fear forcing many migrant workers to leave Tamil Nadu even as the viral videos were proven to be either of old, unrelated incidents or not from Tamil Nadu. One such video of a young man lying on the ground in blood-soaked clothes has also been shared widely on Twitter with the claim that it shows a migrant worker from Bihar who was fatally attacked in Tamil Nadu. 

In Fact

The video has people speaking in Kannada in the background. They can be heard saying, "Hey brother, who did this? Eh…even this boy has been stabbed," "Someone, please call an ambulance." This indicates that the incident involved more than one victim being stabbed and could have taken place in Karnataka, where Kannada is the official state language.

After searching for news reports on stabbing incidents involving multiple victims in Karnataka, we came across a report by The Hindu, published on February 18, about two youths being stabbed to death during a cricket tournament near Bengaluru (Karnataka's capital) following a brawl over parking. Upon looking for more information on the incident, we came across another news report on the same incident published by the Deccan Herald with pictures of the two victims. Several other news outlets, such as The Indian Express and The Time of India, had also reported the incident. According to news reports, the incident occurred on February 17, 2023, in Doddabelavangala village on the outskirts of Bengaluru. The victims were 23-year-old engineering student Bharath Kumar and a 17-year-old pre-university student Prateek. 

Logically contacted the Doddabelavangala police station to ascertain if the viral video was connected to the stabbing incident. A police official, who did not wish to be identified, confirmed that the viral video is from the February 17 stabbing incident that took place in Doddabelavangala. The official also noted that all the accused and victims were from Karnataka and that no migrant worker was not involved in this incident. According to Deccan Herald, the police have formed a special team to nab the accused. 

Based on news reports and information from the Karnataka Police, neither were any migrant workers involved in the incident, nor did it occur in Tamil Nadu. Meanwhile, the Tamil Nadu Police have been cracking down on misinformation about alleged attacks on migrant workers. The state police and the state government have ruled out the targeting of migrant workers. Two helplines have also been started for migrant workers, and an outreach program was also launched to allay their fears.  

The Tamil Nadu government has also collaborated with the Bihar government to address the false claims made on social media. Tamil Nadu chief minister M.K. Stalin assured that no harm would befall the migrant workers in the state and that they would be protected. Subsequently, FIRs were lodged by the Tamil Nadu Police against a few people, including Uttar Pradesh Bharatiya Janata Party(BJP) spokesperson Prashant Umrao, CEO and editors of OpIndia, an editor of the Hindy daily Dainik Bhaskar, and Twitter users Mohammad Tanveer Shubham Shukla and Yuvraj Singh Rajput for allegedly spreading misinformation.

The verdict

Two men were stabbed to death following a row over parking in Doddabelavangala near Bengaluru on February 17, 2023. A video clip of this incident has been maliciously shared with the claim that it shows an attack on migrant workers in Tamil Nadu. Therefore, we mark this claim false.