False: Man accused of stabbing Delhi Police ASI Shambhu Dayal is Mohammad Anees.

By: Anurag Baruah
January 13 2023

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Context

The horrific incident of a police officer being stabbed in broad daylight by a suspected thief in New Delhi recently was misreported by several media organizations, which aided in giving the incident a communal spin on social media. According to a report published by The Indian Express, a Delhi Police assistant sub-inspector (ASI) succumbed to his injuries on January 8, four days after being stabbed multiple times while attempting to arrest a man accused of snatching a mobile phone. 57-year-old ASI Shambhu Dayal was attacked in west Delhi's Mayapuri area before being taken to a hospital for treatment. 

Several outlets, including Hindi TV news channels such as Times Now Navbharat, Aaj Tak, and Sudarshan News, claimed that the attack on the cop was carried out by a man named Mohammad Anees (or Anis). The video news reports were picked up by many social media users to make communally charged comments and claim that the accused was a Muslim man. On Twitter, the claim went viral; Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Priti Gandhi called out a social media handle for what she claimed was "incorrect" and "misleading" reporting as she insisted that the accused was "Mohammed Anees and NOT Anish." Several social media users also used Islamophobic slurs while claiming that the accused was Mohammed Anees. Together, tweets claiming the accused to have a Muslim name have garnered hundreds of likes and thousands of views. 

In Fact

Logically accessed the first information report(FIR) filed in connection with the case and found that the name of the accused charged for ASI Dayal’s murder is Anish (son of Prahlad Raj) and not Mohammad Anees. The FIR, registered on January 4, 2023, mentions that the accused has been arrested under sections 186 (obstructing public servant in discharge of public functions), 353 (assault or criminal force to deter public servant from discharge of his duty), 332 (causing voluntary hurt to public servant), 307 (attempt to murder) of the Indian Penal Code and relevant sections of the Arms Act. There was no mention of anyone named Mohammad Anees anywhere in the police records related to the incident.

According to the FIR, a woman had approached the ASI Dayal at the Mayapuri Police Station, where he was recently posted as an emergency officer. The woman alleged that a man had snatched her husband's mobile phone and threatened them with a knife. Accompanied by the woman, the police officer went looking for the suspect. However, when the ASI got hold of the accused and was taking him to the police station, the suspect took out a knife and stabbed him multiple times. There is no mention of any communal angle to the incident in the FIR. Everyone involved in the incident had Hindu names. 

Additionally, Delhi Police tweeted from their official Twitter handle on January 11, 2023, confirming that the suspect's name is Anish Raj, and he is the son of Prahlad Raj. The tweet added that the accused is a repeat offender. In its tweet, the Delhi Police categorically said that the matter was not communal, and some social media handles were spreading misleading information about the incident. 

In its report published on January 9, The Indian Express had also stated that an unnamed police officer had identified the accused as 24-year-old Anish Raj.

The Verdict

Delhi Police ASI Shambhu Dayal was allegedly stabbed by a man named Anish Raj. As evident from police records, the claim that the suspect's name is Mohammad Anees is incorrect. The Delhi Police have clarified the same and maintained that there is no communal angle to the incident. Therefore, we mark this claim false.