Authors
An Electronics & Communication engineer by training, Arjun switched to journalism to follow his passion. After completing a diploma in Broadcast Journalism at the India Today Media Institute, he has been debunking mis/disinformation for over three years. His areas of interest are politics and social media. Before joining Newschecker, he was working with the India Today Fact Check team.
Pankaj Menon is a fact-checker based out of Delhi who enjoys ‘digital sleuthing’ and calling out misinformation. He has completed his MA in International Relations from Madras University and has worked with organisations like NDTV, Times Now and Deccan Chronicle online in the past.
Claim
Video shows a Muslim woman disrespecting Shri Ram by throwing eggs at his poster.
Fact
Woman who vandalised the religious posters in Chhatrapati Sambhaji Nagar is not Muslim but Hindu.
Several social media users, including some news channels, posted a CCTV footage on Twitter claiming to show a Muslim woman disrespecting Sri Ram by throwing eggs at his poster. Those posting the video claimed that the incident was from Maharashtra‘s Chhatrapati Sambhaji Nagar, earlier known as Aurangabad.
The video shows the woman standing at the divider on a busy road. She is seen standing close to a banner, smearing something before riding away on the scooter. The video was shared on Twitter and Facebook by many users including Sudarshan News, that posted the video on May 20.
Fact Check/Verification
The viral video claims that the incident took place at Shri Ram Chowk of Chhatrapati Sambhaji Nagar. Taking this as a clue, we found the location of the video on Google Maps. The platform on which the woman is seen standing in the video can also be seen on Google street view. The map also shows the banner of lord Ram on the platform.
We found a news report in the Marathi media house ‘Sakal’ about a similar incident. Though the viral video or its screenshots were not present in the report, it says that a woman was arrested by Sambhaji Nagar police for desecrating multiple religious sites.
The report further carries a video of the police commissioner of Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, Manoj Lohiya, in which he informs that a woman was arrested for harming the religious sentiment in the city. But he further clarified the woman is suffering from depression and belongs to the Hindu community.
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A press release informing the same was also shared by the Twitter handle of the police commissioner of Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar and also mentioned the name of the accused as Shilpa Ramrao Garud. It specifies that the woman was suffering from mental illness.
Conclusion
Thus, it can be concluded that the claim with the viral video is false and that it was shared with a communal twist. The woman who vandalised the religious posters in Chhatrapati Sambhaji Nagar is not Muslim but a Hindu.
Result: False
Our Sources
Report of Sakal, posted on May 21, 2023
Tweet of police commissioner of Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar
Self Analysis
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Authors
An Electronics & Communication engineer by training, Arjun switched to journalism to follow his passion. After completing a diploma in Broadcast Journalism at the India Today Media Institute, he has been debunking mis/disinformation for over three years. His areas of interest are politics and social media. Before joining Newschecker, he was working with the India Today Fact Check team.
Pankaj Menon is a fact-checker based out of Delhi who enjoys ‘digital sleuthing’ and calling out misinformation. He has completed his MA in International Relations from Madras University and has worked with organisations like NDTV, Times Now and Deccan Chronicle online in the past.
