An image showing piles of stones placed on a railway track has gone viral with a false and communal claim that Muslims placed them to cause an accident and disrupt railway services. The image was shared with location details and claimed to be from Mamoli village in Prayagraj, Uttar Pradesh.
BOOM found that the incident occurred on October 28, 2024, near Mamoli village in Meja tehsil, Prayagraj district. The incident happened when angry villagers placed stones on the railway track after two cows were hit by a train and killed. The stones were later removed and police clarified that the villagers involved belong to the Hindu community, denying any communal angle.
An X user shared the photo with a Hindi caption that translates to, "Tell me, if the train does not overturn even after so much effort - Shame on Lillah."
(Original Text in Hindi: बताओ , इतनी मेहनत करने के बाद भी ट्रेन न पलटे तो - थू है लिल्लाह पर।)
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The same photo is also being circulated on Facebook with a similar Hindi caption indicating a communal angle to the incident.
Fact Check
Angry villagers placed stones following the death of cattle
BOOM reached out to local reporter Srikanth from Meja for more information on the photo. Srikanth told BOOM that the incident occurred on October 28, 2024, when two cows belonging to a resident of Mamoli village were hit by a train. One individual placed stones on the railway track in anger, which were later cleared.
BOOM also spoke to Anil Shukla, the Panchayat pradhan of Mamoli village, who said, “The villagers take their cattle for grazing towards the hill across the railway tracks. Recently, two cows belonging to a farmer from the village were hit by a train. This led to him placing stones on the track. We later convinced him to remove the stones.”
No communal angle to the incident
BOOM also reached out to Meja Assistant Commissioner of Police Ravi Kumar Gupta, who confirmed, “This is not a communal incident; all those involved in the incident are Hindus." A personnel from Meja Police Station further told BOOM, "The incident took place on the railway track connecting the National Thermal Power Corporation (NTPC) power plant to Mamoli village in Meja. It is a railway line that connects the power plant and is not an passenger train track. Two cows suddenly came in front of a train, leading to the accident. This led to some angry villagers placing stones on the track. Later, the villagers persuaded each other to remove them.”
