Author: Vikram Bhalla
Publication: The Times of India
Date: October 9, 2018
URL:      https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/news/fake-old-false-news-from-2015-reshared-by-journalists-congress-spokesperson-to-question-up-government-hinduism/articleshow/66130774.cms

CLAIM

A three-year-old news report with incorrect information is being recirculated by many prominent, verified Twitter handles with huge following. This includes journalist Saba Naqvi, Mahila Congress leader Lavanya Ballal, Pakistani columnist Arif Rafiq questioning the Uttar Pradesh (UP) government and tolerance of ‘Hindu’ religion.

The news report shared by many said that a 90-year-old Dalit man was burnt alive for trying to enter a temple in Hamirpur district of UP.

While sharing the news, Naqvi claimed that this horrific incident is the reason that India needs Dalit leaders like Mayawati and Prakash Ambedkar, and Bhim Army as “pressure points”.
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Saba Naqvi ‏ @_sabanaqvi
The sort of thing in our country that horrifies...
And the reason a mayawati, bhim army , Prakash ambedkar needed as pressure points...
90-yr-old Dalit man burnt alive for trying to enter temple in UP via @htTweets
8:40 AM - 7 Oct 2018
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Professor of Peace & Conflict Research, and UNESCO Chair of International Water Cooperation Ashok Swain, who claims to hate Hindutva as per his Twitter bio, shared the news with an apparent dig at Hinduism.

Swain says, “Why are Dalits in India tolerating these barbaric cruelties? Is this our most tolerant and inclusive religion?”
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Ashok Swain @ashoswai
Why are Dalits in India tolerating these barbaric cruelties? Is this our most tolerant and inclusive religion?
2:07 PM - 7 Oct 2018
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Arif Rafiq, an American of Pakistani descent, and a columnist with Express Tribune, also shared the old news with incorrect claim.
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Arif Rafiq @ArifCRafiq
Upper-caste Hindus in India’s Gujarat state beat up a Dalit man because he had stickers of mustaches on his bike:

Arif Rafiq @ArifCRafiq
A 90-year-old Dalit man was axed and then set on fire after he tried to enter a Hindu temple in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh:
7:44 AM - 7 Oct 2018
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Lavanya Ballal, National Social Media Coordinator at Mahila Congress and spokesperson for Congress Party’s Karnataka unit, wondered what “Ajay Kumar Bisht” (Yogi Adityanath’s real name) was doing to improve law and order in UP. She questioned if Dalit lives mattered to the Bharatiya Janata Party.
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Lavanya Ballal @LavanyaBallal
Omg ! Is there law and order in UP? What’s Ajay KUMAR bhist doing ? Don’t #Dalit lives matter to @BJP4India
90yr-old Dalit man burnt alive for trying to enter temple in UP via @htTweets
4:44 AM - 8 Oct 2018
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Apart from these, many other accounts tweeted the same old false news report to attack UP CM Yogi.

TRUTH

Firstly, the news report being shared by these handles is dated October 5, 2015. During this time, Samajwadi Party was in power with Akhilesh Yadav as the chief minister of the state.

Secondly, the incident was misreported as the 90-year-old man wasn’t killed for trying to enter the temple. He was hacked to death by a drunkard for refusing to part with his money.

VERIFICATION AND METHODOLOGY

After scouting for a similar news report covering the incident in Times of India, we found a story dated October 3, 2015, in which the Hamirpur Police refused any caste angle to the death of old man. It denied that the man was killed for entering the temple.

“Hamirpur police said the killing took place in Bilgaon village when 90-year-old Khimma Ahirwar was going to a temple. He was accompanied by his wife, Basanti, and a relative. On the way, they encountered a drunken Sanjay Tiwari, who demanded money from Ahirwar. When Ahirwar refused, the accused attacked him with an axe. Basanti and the relative fled from the spot. After Ahirwar died, Tiwari burned the body. Alerted by Basanti, villagers went to the crime scene, overpowered Tiwari and handed him over to the police,” read the report.

“The accused was under the influence of alcohol at the time he committed the crime,” Hamirpur SP Muniraj G told TOI. “We’ve arrested him and are further investigating the matter.”

The details of the story can be found here.

VERDICT