The Question is... How Did a Rumour Lead to the Exodus of Muslims in Purola?
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Dear Reader,
The year was 2023. In Purola, a small town in Uttarkashi district of Uttarakhand, notices were put up on homes and businesses belonging to Muslims to vacate the area.
Mind you, they had lived there for generations.
These notices, which were put up by right-wing Hindu groups — the Vishwa Hindu Parishad and the Bajrang Dal — came in the wake of an alleged kidnapping attempt involving two men and a 14-year-old Hindu girl on 26 May.
This local incident spiralled into chaos because one of the accused was a Muslim man. As local right-wing groups branded the kidnapping case as that of 'love jihad', dozens of Muslim families were forced to flee, fearing violence.
The question is... How did a rumour lead to the exodus of Muslims in Purola?
"At first, the accusation was only about kidnapping. But when some right-wing leaders from outside the town got involved, they began calling it 'love jihad'. Leaders like Darshan Bharti, founder of the right-wing organisation Devbhoomi Raksha Abhiyan, found an audience in Purola under the guise of this issue," Gajendra, a local and independent journalist, told me.
As I revisited the case, I uncovered a chilling reality — fake news had altered Purola's demographics and left wounds that may never heal.
According to locals, before the 2023 exodus, about 250-300 Muslim families lived in Purola. Now, only a handful remain. One of them, a shopkeeper named Bale Khan, reluctantly told me, "The people who created chaos were not locals. Outsiders put up the notices."
"I had to close my shop during that time," he added.
Contrary to popular belief, misinformation and disinformation are no longer confined to the digital realm. Fake news and rumours are now having tangible effects on the ground. To highlight this issue, we have launched our new investigative series — Fake News, Real Impact.
Our goal? To go beyond traditional fact-checking and explore how disinformation can irreversibly alter lives, communities, and entire regions. My story from Purola, where misinformation led to the displacement of the local Muslim population, is the first in our video series.
How Rumours of ‘Love Jihad’ Forced Muslim Families to Flee Uttarakhand's Purola
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