A video of an elderly man is viral on Social Media claiming that the man was sprinkling urine on the bananas which he was selling in Hindu localities of Bijnor, Uttar Pradesh.
BJP leaders and Right-Wing found an opportunity of spreading Islamophobia with this incident. Sambit Patra, a BJP Spokesperson shared the video mocking those trending against Islamophobia on twitter.
Tarek Fatah, a known Islamophobe also shared the tweet.
Soon the video became viral on Facebook and Twitter.
Fact:
Many locals from Bijnor pointed out that the old man was doing ‘Istinja‘ an act of cleaning after urinating.
It is mandatory for a Muslim to clean after urinating. Istinja (Arabic: استنجاء) is the Arabic term for cleaning away whatever has been passed from the urethra or anus with water or toilet paper. This washing is known as Istinja and is commonly done using a vessel. The elderly man was using a water bottle as a vessel.
Moreover nowhere in the viral video the man can be seen sprinkling anything on the fruits. So it is clear that the video has been shared with the false narration. The elderly man is seen folding his hands and begging for forgiveness in fear of getting beat.
Bijnor Police has also not confirmed that the man was sprinkling urine on fruits. When a journalist asked Bijnor police about the incident they replied that the person is quarantined and the matter is under investigation.
The elderly man is seen explaining what transpired in the post below:
https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=1079464145759657&id=100010882455495
Many Hindutva activist have threatened Muslims from doing business in the Hindu localities in the last few days. This incident also seems to be part of the propaganda to malign Muslims.
