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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Divya Deshmukh makes the right moves; Gukesh fails to impress
New Delhi (PTI): A starry-eyed teenager Divya Deshmukh winning the Women's Chess World Cup in faraway Batumi this year not only showcased India's unfathomable depth of talent in the sport but also reaffirmed the country's status as the new hub of the game in the world.
Just when it seemed the aura of D. Gukesh, who became world champion in 2024, was on the wane after suffering a string of losses this year, the 19-year-old Nagpur girl emerged from nowhere and achieved three career milestones with one signature triumph.
Divya not only became the first Indian woman to win the FIDE Women's World Cup, she also instantly secured the prestigious Grandmaster title, bypassing the usual "norms" required to earn it.
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Divya, whose parents are doctors, also secured an automatic qualification for the 2026 Candidates tournament, where the winner will earn the right to challenge the reigning Women's world champion Ju Wenjun of China.
On that eventful day in July, Divya's victory also shifted the contours of women's chess in the country, which relied on two-time world rapid champion Koneru Humpy and Dronavalli Harika. The two women have been the torchbearers of the sport in the country for nearly two decades.
But while Divya made a huge statement with her triumph, success eluded world champion Gukesh and his year was dotted with unflattering results after it started on a promising note with a second-place finish in the Tata Steel Chess Masters in Wijk Aan Zee, Netherlands.
Turbulence hits Gukesh
After the high of becoming world champion, Gukesh's journey this year has been anything but smooth. Country-mate R. Praggnanandhaa challenged his supremacy, defeating the champion in a thrilling blitz tiebreaker to clinch the Tata Steel Masters title.
In a year, when the 19-year-old Gukesh should have consolidated the gains of the world title, he kept slipping, getting knocked out of the Freestyle Chess Grand Slam, finishing dismally in the FIDE Grand Swiss, and suffering a shocking third-round exit at the FIDE World Cup in Goa.
Gukesh's famous victory over world No.1 Magnus Carlsen in Norway Chess in May- June and the European Club Cup triumph in October, where he won the individual gold and helped his team, SuperChess, bag the title, were the few bright spots in a largely barren year.
Amid all the gloom in classical, rapid and blitz, one signature victory that saw Gukesh's popularity soar was his win against Carlsen in Norway Chess in Stavanger.
That famous triumph, where a shaken Carlsen slammed his fist on the table and muttered "Oh my God" before leaving the hall agitated, caused a social media storm.
French football giants Paris Saint-Germain tweeted a viral image of Gukesh's calm expression after defeating the Norwegian world No.1, using it to express their own emotions after winning their first-ever UEFA Champions League title.
PSG captioned the image: "What it felt like winning our first UCL". The football club's use of the image was widely shared across social media, garnering over eight million impressions.
That nerve-wracking defeat against Gukesh notwithstanding, Carlsen beat an elite field to clinch his seventh Norway Chess title, even as he extended his reign on the chess world by winning multiple titles across formats.
Home advantage lost
India were expected to at least secure one Candidates tournament berth from the World Cup in Goa recently. Unfortunately, front-runners Praggnanandhaa, Arjun Erigaisi, Nihal Sarin, P Harikrishna and Vidit Gujrathi bowed out at various stages of the tournament as the Indians couldn't capitalise on the home advantage.
Javokhir Sindarov, Wei Yi, and Andrey Esipenko went on to secure their spots for the Candidates in Cyprus next year.
However, Praggnanandhaa did finally manage to seal his spot in the Candidates by winning the FIDE Circuit 2025, making him the first Indian male player to qualify for the prestigious World Championship qualifier by topping the circuit's standings with strong performances and points from events like the London Chess Classic.
It's raining Grandmasters in India
India has come a long way since the legendary Viswanathan Anand became the country's first Grandmaster in 1988. As the country looks ahead to 2026, it now boasts of 91 GMs, with many standing on the threshold of the prestigious title.
Among those who became Grandmasters in 2025 are LR Srihari, Harikrishnan A Ra, Divya Deshmukh, S Rohith Krishna, Ilamparthi AR and Raahul VS.
Making early moves
With Sarwagya Singh Kushwaha from Madhya Pradesh recently becoming the youngest player on the FIDE rating list at the age of just three years, seven months, and 20 days, it's only a matter of time before someone breaks the record as well. Too 'young' to be true!
