The Wire peddles fake news to defame ‘Jai Shri Ram’, falsely claims Muslim man was forced to chant the Hindu religious slogan, police debunk lies

On Monday (8th September), The Wire published an article wherein it falsely claimed that a Muslim hawker named Maimur Ali Mandal was forced to chant the Hindu religious slogan ‘Jai Shri Ram’ in Bankura district of West Bengal. The leftist propaganda portal ran the piece (archive) with the headline, ‘Muslim Hawker in West Bengal Stabbed, Attackers Allegedly Tried to Force Him to Chant Jai Shri Ram.‘ The Wire alleged that the incident occurred on Saturday (6th September) and attempted to give the isolated case of assault a ‘communal spin.’ Screengrab of the article by The Wire “Mandal says that the accused also hurled abusive remarks targeting his community,” the propaganda portal claimed. The Wire set out to defame the Hindu religious slogan of ‘Jai Shri Ram’ and posed some rhetorical questions. “Why did such violence erupt in Bankura – a place with no history of such communal incidents? Who is responsible for poisoning the atmosphere?” it claimed. It quoted the ‘victim’ Maimur Ali Mandal as saying, “One of the youths who was in the vehicle demanded Rs. 200 from me. When I refused, he stabbed me in the neck with a bhojali (sharp weapon) and asked me to chant ‘Jai Shri Ram.’ When I refused again, he stabbed me in the stomach.“ The Wire weaves narrative in favour of ruling TMC govt The over-emphasis on the religious identity of Maimur Ali Mandal and repeated references to ‘Jai Shri Ram’ were not without a reason. The Wire attempted to weave a narrative ahead of the upcoming West Bengal election in favour of the ruling TMC government about the supposed threat of ‘Hindutva’ to West Bengal. “Incidents like these underline a disturbing trend: the growing influence of Hindutva the ideology, propagated by the BJP,” the propaganda outlet concluded. The Truth behind the incident The Bankura police, which investigated the matter, found no evidence of Maimur Ali Mandal being forced to chant ‘Jai Shri Ram.’ “It has come to notice that some social media handles have posted that a hawker from Punisole was assaulted yesterday in Bankura town by someone and forced to chant religious slogans, portraying it as a communal incident. This is factually incorrect and misleading,” the police said in a statement on X (formerly Twitter). While it is true that the hawker was attacked with a knife, there was no communal motive behind the incident. The attacker happens to be a drug addict who attempted to solicit ₹200 from Maimur Ali Mandal. It has come to notice that some social media handles have posted that a hawker from Punisole was assaulted yesterday in Bankura town by someone and forced to chant religious slogans, portraying it as a communal incident. This is factually incorrect and misleading.Facts are that…— Bankura Police (@spbankura) September 7, 2025 When he refused to comply, the accused attacked him with a knife. The attacker was arrested within a hour’s time and placed in police custody. “Preliminary investigation confirms that the incident was criminal in nature and not religious. Allegations about forcing the victim to chant religious slogans remain unsubstantiated. Citizens are requested not to believe or spread false information on social media without verification,” the Bankura police emphasised. This, however, did not stop ‘The Wire’ from amplifying the fake news about a Muslim hawker being forced to chant ‘Jai Shri Ram’ in West Bengal’s Bankura