Fact Check: 2022 photo from Khargone in MP falsely shared as Nuh demolitions

In the wake of recent communal violence in Nuh, Haryana, and the subsequent demolition drive, a viral photo has been circulating on social media, claiming to show a Muslim man gazing at his destroyed home. Sharing the viral image, a Twitter user wrote, "A helpless Muslim man from Nuh, Haryana, watching his home's demolition by the government." An archived version of one such tweet can be seen here.

Contrary to the claim, India Today found that the photo is not from Nuh, Haryana. Instead, it originates from demolitions in Khargone, Madhya Pradesh, when state authorities razed houses of people, citing their involvement in the communal clashes in April 2022.

Our Probe

A reverse search of the image led us to a report by Scroll dated October 19, 2022. The report titled "Khargone violence: 12-year-old boy asked to pay Rs 2.9 lakh for allegedly damaging public property" contained the viral image. The caption accompanying the photo read: "A person's house in Khargone being demolished.” The photo’s source was listed as a “Special arrangement”.

Additionally, we found a report in the Free Press Journal dated April 11, 2022. The report titled "Bhopal: Khargone rioters will not be spared: Chief Minister" also featured the same viral image. The image, however, was not credited to anyone.

We also found other instances of this photo being published in 2022. Bebaak Collective’s December 2022 report “Social suffering in a world without support – Report on the mental health of Indian Muslims” contained the image, and here too it was linked to the demolition drive in Khargone. The photo was credited to Scroll.

A Swarajya magazine report from April 29, 2022, about the Khargone clashes too contained the image. The photo was captioned: “Stills from the demolition drive as posted by PRO Khargone from their official Twitter handle.”

We searched for the photo on the official Twitter account of PRO Jansampark Khargone, under the Government of Madhya Pradesh. However, we were unable to find it there.

Regardless, the presence of the viral image on the internet since April 2022 confirms that it could not have been related to the demolition drive in the aftermath of the violence in Nuh, Haryana.