Authors
Vasudha noticed the growing problem of mis/disinformation online after studying New Media at ACJ in Chennai and became interested in separating facts from fiction. She is interested in learning how global issues affect individuals on a micro level. Before joining Newschecker’s English team, she was working with Latestly.
Claim
Shoe attack on a BJP MLA in Hamirpur.
Fact
2018 video of an attack on an employee union leader.
A video showing a woman attacking a man with slippers in the middle of a meeting is being widely shared on social media platforms. The text superimposed on the footage reads “BJP MLA welcomed with shoes in Hamirpur (translated from Hindi.)” 30-second-long-video is gaining traction online, and has been shared with “#अबकी_बार_आठ_सौ_पार” hashtag. Newschecker found that the video dates back to 2018, and has been shared with a false narrative.
Such posts can be seen here, here and here.
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Fact Check/Verification
On carefully analysing the video, we spotted “हिमाचल परिवहन मजदूर संघ” written on a banner.
Taking a clue, we looked up Hindi keywords “हिमाचल परिवहन,” “महिला,” “जूता” and “हमला” on Google, which led us to a report by Amar Ujala, dated June 23, 2018. Carrying screen grabs from the viral footage, the report stated that a female trainee conductor attacked an employee leader with slippers.
The report elaborated that the State President of the Transport Workers Union (Parivahan Mazdoor Sangh)was in Hamirpur to attend a meeting when two women attacked him. While one held his hands, the other attacked him with her slippers. The women had accused Shankar Singh Thakur of circulating objectionable audio about them.
Also Read: Ranveer Singh Endorses Congress, Mocks PM Narendra Modi? No, Viral Video Is Deepfake
Detailing the incident, a report by Punjab Kesari, dated June 23, 2018, stated that the police filed a case against both the parties – the women and Thakur. Adding that the then SP Hamirpur Raman Kumar Meena said that the police has filed cases on the basis of complaints received from both sides, and an investigation has been launched.
A report by News18 Himachal, dated June 23, 2018, carried a video byte of the accused women where they can be heard saying that Thakur circulated the audio. It added that the Union leader had dismissed the allegations as baseless.
Other reports on the incident can be seen here, here and here.
Notably, in 2018 BJP leader Narinder Thakur was serving as the MLA from the Hamirpur constituency. We did not find any reports indicating any such attack on him.
Also Read: Old Video Of Uma Bharti Calling PM Modi ‘Vinash Purush’ Revived Ahead Of Lok Sabha Polls
Conclusion
We could thus conclude that a 2018 video of a woman assaulting an employee union leader has been falsely shared to show a shoe attack on a BJP MLA in Hamirpur.
Result: False
Sources
Report By Amar Ujala, Dated June 23, 2018
Report By Punjab Kesari, Dated June 23, 2018
Facebook Post By News18 Himachal, Dated June 23, 2018
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Authors
Vasudha noticed the growing problem of mis/disinformation online after studying New Media at ACJ in Chennai and became interested in separating facts from fiction. She is interested in learning how global issues affect individuals on a micro level. Before joining Newschecker’s English team, she was working with Latestly.
