Fact Check: Was Lucknow Imam Attacked By 'Sanghis-Bajrangis'?

A set of photographs showing an injured man sitting wearing a blood-soaked undervest are being widely shared on social media. The users have claimed that the man is an Imam of a mosque in Lucknow who was attacked by “Sanghis-Bajrangis.”

One Shaida Hussain posted the images with a Hindi caption: “Coward Sanghis have exceeded the limits of hatred. At 11 PM, Imam Hafiz Adnan at Lucknow’s Jail Road mosque was fatally attacked by coward Sanghis-Bajrangis with a sword.” 

Besides, news platform National Dastak published a report on the incident claiming that the Imam was attacked by RSS and Bajrang Dal members.

Another user Syed Hassanul Haque shared the same images with a similar narrative on Facebook.  The post has been shared more 1,600 times till the report was filed. According to the post, the Imam’s name is Hafeez Adnan.

News Nation searched on Google and found that an Imam at a mosque in Lucknow was indeed attacked on October 28, but his name is not Hafeez Adnan but Imam Abdul Muqeem.

The Imam told Caravan Daily that while he was asleep, an unidentified person came in and attacked him. He screamed aloud, and by the time a neighbour came to his rescue, the attackers fled. The neighbour reported the matter to the police and admitted him to a hospital with severe injuries on his hand and head.

On October 31, the Lucknow Police arrested 19-year-old Suraj Prajapati for allegedly attacking the Imam. According to the police, Prajapati confessed to entering the Imam’s house, however, with the motive of robbery. Upon finding Mukim awake, he attacked him twice with a pipe and ran away from the spot.