After the "I Love Muhammad" clashes in Bareilly on 26 September 2025, a photo of a man with injuries was shared as one of the rioters "treated" by Uttar Pradesh Police. It is false: the photo is from January 2023 in Uttarkashi, Uttarakhand, where a Dalit youth was reportedly beaten for entering a temple.
Claim: The photo shows a man beaten by police for rioting in Bareilly.
Said by: Social media users, with a Hindi caption crediting "UP Police".
What the record shows: The same photo was on Facebook in January 2023 with news clippings about an assault on a Scheduled Caste youth in Uttarkashi district. Factly
Where the claim came from
On 26 September 2025, after Friday prayers in Bareilly, crowds carrying "I Love Muhammad" posters clashed with police after cleric Tauqeer Raza Khan's planned demonstration was refused permission. PTI via The Week On 27 September police arrested eight people including Khan, detained 39 and suspended the internet. Statesman
Soon after, social media users shared a photo of a man with injured buttocks. The Hindi caption translates as: "Those who rioted in the Bareilly market...Denting and painting Credit: UP Police." The post suggested police had beaten the man as punishment. Factly did not name the accounts or report their reach. Factly
What the evidence shows
Documented Factly ran the photo through Google Lens and found a Facebook post of the same image dated January 2023. It carried news clippings from 12 January 2023 describing a Dalit youth "beaten with burning wood overnight for entering a temple" in Uttarkashi district. Keyword searches found further news reports and posts about the 2023 case, and the images matched. Factly
Factly concluded: "The photo is from a 2023 incident in Uttarkashi, where a Dalit youth was reportedly beaten after entering a temple." It rated the claim false. Factly's own write-up spells the village two ways, but this does not affect the finding. Factly
Context
The real accounts of Bareilly are sharply contested, which is why accurate images matter. Police account Police say a faction threw stones and acid bottles and fired shots, injuring 10 personnel, and DIG Sahni called it "a pre-planned conspiracy". PTI Claim · APCR A civil rights fact-finding team said the crowd was largely peaceful and police lathi-charged without warning. APCR Factly also found that a video of an imam describing a police assault was from Bihar, not Uttar Pradesh. Factly Both accounts are set out on our Bareilly violence page.
Questions people ask
Where is the viral Bareilly injured man photo from?
From Uttarkashi district, Uttarakhand, in January 2023, where a Dalit youth was reportedly beaten for entering a temple.
What happened in Bareilly on 26 September 2025?
Crowds with "I Love Muhammad" posters clashed with police after Friday prayers. Police say stones and shots came from the crowd; residents say police charged a peaceful gathering.
Were any other Bareilly visuals fake?
Yes. Factly found a video of an imam describing a police assault was from Bihar.
Sources
- Factly: Old Uttarkashi photo falsely shared as Bareilly police victim, Sept 2025
- PTI via The Week: UP poster row, clash in Bareilly, 26 Sept 2025
- Statesman: Bareilly violence, internet shutdown, 39 held, Sept 2025
- APCR: Bareilly fact-finding report, Oct 2025
- Factly: Imam's assault video is from Bihar, 2025
