A recent incident aboard an IndiGo flight was initially misreported on social media as a communal altercation, with claims that a Hindu passenger had assaulted a Muslim co-passenger. The narrative quickly gained traction, sparking communal outrage and concerns peddling Muslim Victimhood narrative. However, it has now been confirmed that both the victim and the accused are Muslims, not from different religious communities as earlier claimed. The misinformation, which falsely framed the incident as a Hindu-Muslim conflict, has since been debunked.
The Fake Narrative
On Friday, August 1, a video surfaced on social media platforms, mainly X (formerly Twitter) showing a Muslim passenger being slapped by a fellow traveler. Several influential handles, often aligned with leftist and Islamist ideologies, quickly circulated the video, claiming the attacker was a Hindu. These posts used charged language, referencing terms like ‘Sanghi’ and invoked fears of rising religious intolerance in India.
The viral posts painted the incident as yet another case of ‘Muslim victimhood,’ warning about the erosion of secularism in the country. The narrative gained momentum before any verified details were available.
Various Congress leaders including Ritu Choudhary, Salman Nizami, Shama Mohammad among others were seen pushing the ‘Muslim Victimhood’ narrative as soon as the video went viral on social media.
Real Facts of The Case
However, the truth came to light when an Aviation Journalist Jagriti Chandra investigated the matter and revealed that both individuals involved were of same community, Muslims. The passenger who was assaulted has been identified as Hossain Ahmed Mazumdar, a resident of Assam’s Cachar district. The assailant was identified as Hafijul Rahman.
According to reports, Hossain suffered a panic attack while the flight was on the tarmac in Kolkata, which delayed takeoff. Annoyed by the disruption, Rahman confronted and physically assaulted him. The incident was immediately condemned by fellow passengers, one of whom was heard in the video saying, ‘Why did you slap him? You don’t have any right to hit anybody.’
Rahman was deboarded in Kolkata and handed over to CISF authorities. IndiGo confirmed his arrest and issued a formal statement condemning the unruly behavior.
IndiGo Issues Statement
In a statement released on Friday, IndiGo said:
‘We are aware of an incident involving a physical altercation onboard one of our flights. Such unruly behavior is completely unacceptable, and we strongly condemn any actions that compromise the safety and dignity of our passengers and crew. The individual involved was identified as unruly and handed over to the security authorities upon arrival.’
The airline added that it followed standard operating procedures and reported the incident to all appropriate regulatory bodies.
The Fallout of Fake News
The misreporting of this incident highlights a troubling trend of the weaponization of disinformation to push communal narratives. Once it became evident that the perpetrator was not Hindu, but in fact Muslim, many of the same accounts that had amplified the falsehood quietly deleted or ignored the clarification.
This is not an isolated case. Experts warn that such premature assumptions and narrative-pushing can deepen societal divides and erode public trust in media.
This incident serves as a cautionary tale about the danger of misinformation in the digital age. Before drawing conclusions or assigning communal motives, it is essential for the public, media, and influencers to wait for verified facts.
As this case clearly demonstrates, what began as a false communal allegation ended in the exposure of a completely different truth; one that reveals more about the intentions behind the narrative than the incident itself.