Fact Check: How self-proclaimed Hindu rights activist is spreading false claims on Udupi incident
Rashmi Samant was forced to resign as Oxford Students Council Prez over her 'racists' posts in 2021
Udupi: On Monday, July 24, Rashmi Samant, a self-proclaimed Hindu Rights Activist, took to her Twitter account and made several misleading and false claims about the Udupi incident, where three students of a paramedical college allegedly filmed a fellow student in the restroom as part of a prank video and later deleted it.
The incident had gained attention on social media earlier last week and was later colored with a communal angle by right-wing users and misinformation peddlers, attempting to trigger hate and tension between communities in the sensitive coastal belt of Karnataka.
Rashmi Samant, along with other right-wing ecosystem users, made several claims that were later debunked by the Udupi Police. She mentioned that the three accused students "placed cameras in female toilets of their college to record hundreds of unsuspecting Hindu girls" and that "Videos and photos were then circulated in community WhatsApp groups by the perpetrators." However, the Udupi District Superintendent of Police, Hakay Akshay Machhindra, called a press conference and debunked both claims, asserting that the accused students and the girl who was filmed were acquaintances and that the video was shot as a prank.
Read Also: 'Hidden camera in college washroom': Udupi SP asks public not to believe rumours
I'm from Udupi and nobody is talking about Alimatul Shaifa, Shabanaz and Aliya who placed cameras in female toilets of their college to record hundreds of unsuspecting Hindu girls. Videos and phots that were then circulated in community WhatsApp groups by the perpetrators.
— Rashmi Samant (@RashmiDVS) July 23, 2023
The police also stressed that there was no communal angle to the case and that the video was later deleted by the accused students. The SP also said that the girl was neither blackmailed nor harassed by the accused student or anyone. He also clarified that there were no hidden cameras placed in the restroom, another claim being peddled on Twitter and other platforms.
Furthermore, Rashmi Samant claimed that many of the girls featured in the videos were contemplating self-harm or suicide due to depression and disturbance caused by the incident. However, the police briefing did not make any mention of such claims, and they stated that the incident was an isolated one without any communal conspiracy being discussed on social media. The SP also said the incident involved only one girl who was filmed and that their investigation, as of today did not reveal the involvement of any other girl who was filmed or harassed as being claimed on social media.
Let me tell you, many of the girls who were featured in the videos are depressed and disturbed to the extent that they are contemplating self-harm/suicide. Yet, this issue is not being condemned with the severity it deserves.
— Rashmi Samant (@RashmiDVS) July 23, 2023
The Udupi SP also debunked Rashmi's claim that the videos and photos filmed by the accused students were shared in WhatsApp groups. The police found no evidence of such sharing during their investigation, and neither the girl who was filmed nor her parents filed any complaint in this regard.
Read Also: Udupi SP debunks social media claims on students filming private videos of other students
If you have one last bone of conscience left in you, talk about what happened to the Hindu girls in Udupi so that they don't dare to mess with our girls again.
— Rashmi Samant (@RashmiDVS) July 23, 2023
Even the chairman of the college refuted the claims on social media, stating that no such incident had happened in the college before, and that the claims were fake and baseless.
Another college official, Rashmi, who is the director of the paramedical college where the incident took place denied claims that similar incidents had taken place in the college and called the claims fake and baseless claims.
“It is a lie that this kind of incident happened here before. No one should put fake news and confusing ideas on social media without knowing the truth,” she stated.
Fact-checker and founder of AltNews Mohammed Zubair also called out Samant on Twitter for peddling misleading information and fake news and asked the local police if they will take action against Shefali Vaidya and Rashmi Samant who have been amplifying misinformation related to Udupi?
Will @PoliceUdupi take action against these accounts for amplifying misinformation related to Udupi?
— Mohammed Zubair (@zoo_bear) July 24, 2023
C'C: @DrParameshwara @DgpKarnataka @HMOKarnataka pic.twitter.com/XY0e5f4FBB
It is important to note that Rashmi Samant who hails from the Udupi district had previously faced controversies for her social media posts, which were labeled anti-Semitic, racist, and transphobic during her short-lived tenure as the President of the Oxford University Students Union in 2021, following which she was forced to resign as the president of the council only five days after she took charge of the post.
The claims made by Rashmi Samant regarding the Udupi incident were debunked by the police, and there is no evidence to support her allegations of a larger communal conspiracy. It is crucial to rely on verified and accurate information to avoid spreading false news that may trigger communal disharmony in the region.
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CM Siddaramaiah ready to "sacrifice power" or continue, as per Rahul's directions: Rajanna
Bengaluru (PTI): As the speculation about leadership change in Karnataka rages yet again, a senior party leader and close aide of Siddaramaiah on Tuesday said the Chief Minister was ready to "sacrifice power" or continue in the top post, based on the directions of Congress leader Rahul Gandhi.
KN Rajanna also seemed to support the idea of a change in the party leadership as well, an apparent reference to deputy CM and Karnataka Congress president D K Shivakumar, whose supporters want him to be made CM.
Urging the Congress high command to clear the confusion on the leadership issue, Rajanna, a former minister who is considered close to Siddaramaiah, warned that continued uncertainty would be detrimental for the party and governance.
He also insisted that if the chief minister is changed, there should be a "Dalit CM" in Karnataka.
The development comes amid speculations within the party and political circles about a possible decision on leadership change and cabinet reshuffle after May 4, once the results for assembly elections in four states and one union territory, along with bypolls to two assembly segments in Karnataka, are announced.
"The Chief Minister has an open mind and has said he will abide by the directions of the high command and Rahul Gandhi, and that everyone should cooperate. The CM has repeatedly reiterated that he will abide by Rahul Gandhi's directives and suggested that everyone follow the decision. All ministers have agreed to it," Rajanna said in response to a question about the CM's recent discussion with his close cabinet colleagues and MLAs.
Speaking to reporters here, he said, "power is not permanent for any politician, those who lose it will try to gain it and those who have gained it will try to maintain it. The CM's mindset is that he is ready to sacrifice power or continue in power as per Rahul Gandhi's directions. He will abide by Rahul Gandhi's decision."
When asked whether supporters of Siddaramaiah demanded that he continue as CM, and if he steps down, that an AHINDA leader should take over, the MLA said the matter is for the high command to decide.
"We have told the high command what we had to. Ultimately it is left to high command and Rahul Gandhi," he said.
AHINDA (Kannada acronym for minorities, backward classes, and Dalits) is considered as the strong support base of Siddaramaiah and also the Congress party.
When asked about his past statement that there should be a Dalit CM after Siddaramaiah, Rajanna said, "What's wrong with it. I am committed to the statement that there should be a Dalit CM."
MLAs and leaders who want Shivakumar to be elevated have recently claimed they expect some "sweet news" by May 15, which is their leader's birthday.
When asked whether the party president should also be changed, the former minister said that everything has to change.
"If the ministers have to change, why shouldn't the party president. Everything will be decided by high command," he said.
Shivakumar is the state Congress President and has completed six years in the post.
For the government to function more actively towards the welfare of the people it is important that the high command clears the existing confusion in the Congress party at the earliest, Rajanna said, adding, the ministers have gone to discuss the same with the leadership.
"I too urge that the high command should not allow the confusion to continue; as long as the confusion continues, it is detrimental for the party and governance. I will also go to Delhi after May 4," he said.
"The high command is at it (resolving the confusion), but because of elections, the leaders are busy. The matter cannot be decided hastily, it must be decided with a clear state of mind, as it involves the future of the people of Karnataka and the party," he said, expressing confidence that the party will take appropriate decisions after examining all aspects.
PWD Minister Satish Jarkiholi on Monday met Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge and General Secretary (in charge of Karnataka) Randeep Surjewala in New Delhi and requested them to address the speculation regarding the change of leadership in the state.
Subsequently Social Welfare Minister H C Mahadevappa too met the party leadership in Delhi.
Both Jarkiholi and Mahadevappa are considered close to Siddaramaiah.
Regarding the demand for cabinet reshuffle, Rajanna said there is an expectation within both the party and the public that the administration should be sensitised more, and there is nothing wrong in new people getting opportunities.
Responding to a question, Rajanna said, there is a feeling among AHINDA communities that their expectations from the current government have not been fulfilled. "I too agree with it," he said.
Rajanna, who recently alleged that the Chief Minister is "helpless" and under some "compulsion," reiterated his statement by saying, "compare Siddaramaiah as CM during 2013-18 and 2023 to now, there is a huge difference, people are saying it."
The leadership issue is being hotly debated as Shivakumar's supporters have been demanding his elevation since late 2025, in lines with a rumoured power-sharing agreement involving Siddaramaiah when the party won the 2023 Assembly elections.
