Viral video falsely portrays harassment of Muslim women in K’taka as "Love Jihad" incident
Bengaluru: A video circulating on social media, purportedly showing a burqa-clad woman attempting to coerce another woman into participating in "Love Jihad," has been debunked as misinformation. The video, widely shared by Right Wing accounts, including @ajaychauhan41, and others, is falsely portrayed as a case of religious conversion. Alt News has previously exposed the account @ajaychauhan41 for disseminating communal misinformation.
Upon investigation, it was revealed that the video dates back to November 2021 and originates from Karnataka's Kodagu district. The incident captured in the video involves two Muslim girls who were harassed by a group of men affiliated with Hindutva groups. The men accused the girls of engaging in "Love Jihad" by allegedly providing a burqa to a Christian classmate. The police investigation, however, revealed that the Christian girl had kept the burqa due to space constraints in her bag and was returning it to the Muslim girls.
According to a report by The News Minute published on November 23, 2021, the victims were threatened, slapped, and beaten by the mob, which consisted of over 30 people. The police arrested two individuals, Prajwal and Kaushik, in connection with the incident. The video captures the distressing moment when the girls were accosted by the mob, questioning them about the burqa and their backgrounds.
The victims' fathers had earlier clarified that the Muslim girls were waiting for their Christian friend to return the burqa in the evening. The Christian girl had kept the burqa for them in the morning as they had to remove it before entering their college classes. The misinformation circulating on social media falsely portrays the incident as an attempt at religious conversion when, in fact, both women shown in the video are Muslims.
This incident is part of a series of hate crimes reported in Kodagu, where individuals were targeted based on their religious identity.
The viral video from Karnataka's Kodagu district, falsely portraying an incident as an attempt at religious conversion through "Love Jihad," underscores the importance of fact-checking and responsible sharing on social media platforms. The misinformation, perpetuated by Right Wing accounts and others, has been debunked, revealing that the incident involved two Muslim girls facing harassment from a group with Hindutva affiliations.
जागो हिंदुओं
— हम लोग We The People 🇮🇳 (@ajaychauhan41) March 2, 2024
इस बुर्के वाली लड़की ने उस हिंदू लड़की का ब्रेन वॉश किया जो वीडियो फ्रेम में भी है
वह हिंदू लड़की को बुर्का पहनने और शांतिप्रिय लड़के (जो वीडियो में गलियारे में खडा दिखाई दे रहा है) के साथ जाने के लिए कहती हुई पकड़ी गई।
..लव जिहाद ये है... pic.twitter.com/1uanhZJUaZ
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Sanjay Raut demands re-election, alleges irregularities in EVMs during Maharashtra polls
Mumbai, Nov 25: Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Sanjay Raut on Monday demanded a re-election in Maharashtra using ballot papers, claiming there were irregularities with the electronic voting machines (EVMs).
Talking to reporters, Raut alleged several complaints about EVMs malfunctioning and questioned the integrity of the recently held elections.
The BJP-led Mahayuti won 230 out of 288 seats in the assembly elections, while the opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi managed 46 seats, with Shiv Sena (UBT) winning just 20 out of 95 seats it contested.
"We have received nearly 450 complaints regarding EVMs. Despite raising objections repeatedly, no action has been taken on these issues. How can we say these elections were conducted fairly? Hence, I demand that the results be set aside and elections be held again using ballot papers," Raut said.
Citing some instances, he said a candidate in Nashik reportedly received only four votes despite having 65 votes from his family, while in Dombivli, discrepancies were found in EVM tallies, and election officials refused to acknowledge the objections.
The Sena (UBT) leader also questioned the credibility of the landslide victories of some candidates, saying, "What revolutionary work have they done to receive more than 1.5 lakh votes? Even leaders who recently switched parties have become MLAs. This raises suspicions. For the first time, a senior leader like Sharad Pawar has expressed doubts about EVMs, which cannot be ignored."
Asked about the MVA's poor performance in the elections, Raut rejected the idea of blaming a single individual.
"We fought as a united MVA. Even a leader like Sharad Pawar, who commands immense respect in Maharashtra, faced defeat. This shows that we need to analyse the reasons behind the failure. One of the reasons is EVM irregularities and the misuse of the system, unconstitutional practices, and even judicial decisions left unresolved by Justice Chandrachud," he said.
Raut stressed that though internal differences might have existed within the MVA, the failure was collective.
He also accused the Mahayuti of conducting the elections in an unfair manner.
"I cannot call the elections fair given the numerous reports of discrepancies in EVMs, mismatched numbers, and vote irregularities across the state," Raut said.
