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.
A video, claiming to show a class 8 girl being stabbed repeatedly by a Muslim youth in Bihar’s Gopalganj after she resisted his attempts to molest her, is being widely shared on social media platforms. Most users linked the instance with ‘love jihad’, the right wing conspiracy where Muslim men allegedly seduce young Hindu women with the intent of conversion. A fact check by Newschecker has revealed that this was not a case of attempted love jihad as is being claimed, as both the attacker and his victim belonged to the same community.
The discussions and debates around ‘Love Jihad’ have gained prominence over the last few years with several . Social media users regularly post pictures and videos claiming to show the ‘phenomenon’ at work. Certain states including Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh and Gujarat have enacted a ‘Love Jihad Law’ to ‘protect’ young women from religious conversion in the name of love.
It is in this context that the video is being shared on social media with the claim that a Muslim youth stabbed a girl multiple times after she resisted his molestation attempt. A YouTube channel called ‘Engineer Reveals’ also posted a video titled ‘Muslim guy Stabbed Multiple times a Hindu girl in BIHAR’ regarding the Gopalganj incident which has also been shared on Twitter.
Fact Check/Verification
To verify the veracity of the claim, Newschecker conducted a keyword search on Google. We searched for ‘‘Girl stabbed multiple times for resisting molestation in Gopalganj’’ on Google.
Several news sites including India Today, India.com, Republic World, have covered the incident. According to a report by India Today, a class 8 student in Bihar’s Gopalganj district was stabbed multiple times by her alleged stalker after she resisted molestation attempts by him.
According to a report by Republic, the accused stabbed the victim 13 times after she objected to his molestation and groping attempt. The report adds, “The crime occurred in Pratappur village of Manjhagarh jurisdiction and reports suggest that the accused was her stalker. The girl, a grade VIII student, resisted his notice but was stabbed about 13 times in 15 seconds.” The accused, identified as Guddan Ali, has been reportedly arrested based on CCTV footage. None of the aforementioned reports talk about the ‘Love Jihad’ angle to the incident.
According to a report by Zee News, the victim was referred to Gorakhpur hospital in critical condition.
To further investigate the allegations of ‘Love Jihad’, we ran certain keyword searches on Google to ascertain the identity of the victim. According to a report by NCR News, the victim, whose identity has been withheld by Newschecker, belongs to the same community as the attacker and is a resident of Pratappur village of Manjhagarh.
In light of information published in the aforementioned media reports, Newschecker contacted SI Ravikant Dubey of Manjhagadh Police Station. According to SI Dubey, There is no communal angle to the incident which took place on December 19, 2021. The accused has been identified as Rajik Hasan alias Guddu, son of Asraf Ali, and the victim also belongs to the same community. A case has been registered under section 8 of POCSO Act, PIC 341, 323 and 324, 326, 504 506, 354, 307 and 344 against the accused and he was arrested on December 20, 2021. The victim is undergoing treatment at Patna Medical College and Hospital.
This article was originally published in Newschecker Hindi. Read our Hindi fact check here.
Conclusion:
Our fact check shows that the claim about Muslim youth stabbing a Hindu girl multiple times for resisting molestation attempt is misleading. There is no ‘Love Jihad’ or communal angle in this matter.
Result: Misleading
Sources:
Republic World: https://www.republicworld.com/india-news/general-news/bihar-stalker-stabs-girl-13-times-in-broad-daylight-for-resisting-molestation-attempt.html
Ravikant Dubey, SI, Manjhagadh Police Station, Gopalganj, Bihar
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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.
