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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Mercury likely to touch 44 deg C in Delhi; IMD issues alert for heatwave-like conditions
New Delhi (PTI): Delhi recorded a minimum temperature of 26.2 degrees Celsius on Sunday, 2.4 notches below the seasonal average, according to the India Meteorological Department.
The weather department has forecast partly cloudy sky with an orange alert for heatwave-like conditions at isolated places by the evening.
The maximum temperature is expected to reach around 44 degrees Celsius on Sunday, the IMD said.
The relative humidity in the capital was recorded at 43 per cent at 8.30 am.
The air quality was 'poor' at 9 am, with an Air Quality Index (AQI) reading of 223, Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) data showed.
According to the CPCB, an AQI between zero and 50 is considered 'good', 51 and 100 'satisfactory', 101 and 200 'moderate', 201 and 300 'poor', 301 and 400 'very poor', and 401 and 500 'severe'.
