The UP government’s order to hawkers and hotels along the route of the Kanwar Yatra to display the names of the owners, in effect an act of economically boycotting owners of the Muslim community, has been widely criticized as undemocratic. A video being widely circulated is used to justify this decision.
In the video, a man can be seen urinating on a tub. The video is being circulated by right-wing groups on social media with the tag 'the enemy of Hindus,' claiming that it was a Muslim man who was urinating in gulab jamuns at a Hindu wedding.
Several right-wing social media users also questioned the critics of the decision, including actor Sonu Sood and journalist Rajdeep Sardesai. However, a fact-check by Alt News has revealed the truth behind the viral video, demonstrating how easily misinformation can spread and exacerbate communal divisions.
Responding to this Sardesai wrote on X “Morning musing: Of all the deplorable justifications to the brazenly divisive Kanwar Yatra order which is de facto an economic boycott , the one that is most troubling (and offensive) is to suggest that the food habits and places of a particular community are unhygienic! Fact is, we ALL could do with lessons in better hygiene. Just see the state of so many of our kitchens, public places, including places of worship and ‘holy’ cities and you will know what I am saying. Swacchta/hygiene remains a challenge and those who talk about it as community specific only reflect their communal and, dare I also say, caste bias.”
The video initially circulated in May 2023, with claims that an "enemy of Hindus" was contaminating sweets during the wedding season. The narrative urged viewers to verify the Aadhaar cards of confectioners' workers before hiring them.
Alt News found a longer version of the video on Instagram, posted by user @ashiq.billota. This extended clip showed the man pouring a liquid from a bottle into the tub, debunking the edited version's misleading portrayal.
The UP government’s directive has been criticized as fostering economic boycotts and communal biases, with prominent figures speaking out against it. Sonu Sood emphasized unity in his response, suggesting that the only necessary signboard should promote humanity. Rajdeep Sardesai highlighted the inherent prejudice in the Kanwar Yatra order, denouncing it as an attempt to economically marginalize a specific community by stigmatizing their food practices as unhygienic.
The video’s circulation has further inflamed these tensions, with social media users challenging public figures to address the incident, implying their previous stances were communal.