Social Media websites were recently awash with videos of a scuffle between farmers and an unknown person at the protest site along the Delhi Border. Several social media users shared the video, claiming that the unknown person was none other than senior journalist Ajit Anjum, who was ‘beaten up’ by the farmers while reporting about the ongoing farmers’ protests.
The video that has gone viral on the internet showed a raft people, presumably, protesters involved in a scuffle with unknown people, close to the protest site on a highway.
अजीत अंजुम को किसानों ने धोया एक्सक्लुसिव तस्वीरें देखिये इस क्रांतिकारी पत्रकार के स्वागत की….. pic.twitter.com/47cItqvpQ7
— Gaurav Mishra गौरव मिश्रा 🇮🇳 (@gauravstvnews) December 22, 2020
किसान आंदोलन कवर करने गए पत्रकार Ajit Anjum के साथ धक्का मुक्की। अधिक जानकारी का इंतज़ार.. @ajitanjum#FarmersProtest #FarmerBill2020 #किसान_आंदोलन pic.twitter.com/2E3OOquSh2
— Abuzar Kamaluddin (@abuzarkamaludin) December 22, 2020
Ajit Anjum refutes allegations, claims he intervened to stop the scuffle
However, soon after the video went viral with the claim that Ajit Anjum has been at the receiving ends of the blows rained by the protesting farmers, the journalist quickly took to Twitter to refute the allegations that he had had a scuffle with the protesters. Anjum claimed that he was in the middle of the chaos because he was trying to settle the matter between the two sparring parties.
“Some people are making this video viral with incorrect information. Some boys had entered into a brawl over an argument with a photographer. Seeing tempers flying high, many people like me came forward to end their raging dispute. The video is from that time,” Anjum tweeted while rejecting the allegations that he was being roughed up by the protesters.
कुछ लोग गलत जानकारी के साथ ये वीडियो वायरल कर रहे हैं .
— Ajit Anjum (@ajitanjum) December 22, 2020
किसी फोटोग्राफर के साथ किसी बात पर कुछ लड़कों की बहस हुई . फिर झगड़े जैसी नौबत देख मैं और मेरे जैसे कई लोग भागकर बीच बचाव करने पहुंचे .
उसी वक्त का ये वीडियो है . https://t.co/lgGnqTVFcV
Despite his clarification, the video continued to spread like wildfire, along with the rumours that Ajit Anjum has been thrashed by the protesters at the protest site when he had gone to cover the farmers’ protest. Peeved by the resilience of the viral video, Anjum issued another tweet, stating that the fake news machinery is rolling along even after he issued a clarification that he wasn’t manhandled at the protest site.
फर्जी जानकारी को वायरल करने वाला तंत्र अब भी लगा है .
— Ajit Anjum (@ajitanjum) December 22, 2020
फिर कह रहा हूं मेरे साथ किसी ने कोई धक्कामुक्की नहीं की .न किसी से झगड़ा हुआ .
हमने बीच-बचाव करके उन्हें अलग किया ,जो किसी बात पर एक फोटोग्राफर से उलझे थे .
ये उन सबकी सूचना के लिए है, जो
लगातार फोन कर रहे हैं https://t.co/6f8zTboULY
“The mechanism to make fake news viral is still in place. I am reiterating that nobody has manhandled me. I did not quarrel with anybody. I, along with others only tried to separate the two fighting parties who got embroiled in a scuffle on a comment made by the photographer. This information is for everybody who is constantly calling to check on me,” Anjum said.
