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| - Fact Check: Truth behind disturbing video of girl's molestation
A video is going viral on social media with the claim that in Kerala, girls are being regularly harassed and molested. This is happening as Hindus have become a minority in the state.
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India Today Fact Check
The three-year-old video is from Prakasam district in Andhra Pradesh. The girl was sexually assaulted by her boyfriend and his friends
A disturbing video of a man molesting a girl at an isolated place in the bushes has gone viral on social media with the claim that the incident is from Kerala. The claim goes on to hint that such incidents are regular in the state as Hindus have become a minority there.
The viral video shows the man trying to undress the girl and laughing at her plight even as she screams and begs to let her go. Another woman is seen trying to rescue her, while other male voices can be heard in the video.
India Today Anti Fake News War Room (AFWA) has found that the claim along with the video is misleading. The three-year-old video is from Prakasam district of Andhra Pradesh. The girl was sexually assaulted by her boyfriend and his friends.
A Twitter user posted the video on September 7 with a caption in Hindi which translates to, “This is not the only viral video from Kerala showing molestation of a woman. Such incidents are commonplace there. The main objective is that Hindus are a minority in the state.”
The tweet was later deleted but not before it went viral on the Internet. Supreme Court lawyer and BJP spokesperson Gaurav Bhatia had also retweeted it, asking the National Commission of Women to take up the issue. The archived version of the tweet can be seen here.
The misleading post is being shared on Facebook as well.
AFWA investigation
Using InVID, we reverse-searched one of the keyframes of the video and found a report by “The Times of India” on the incident. The September 2017 report says the incident took place in Kanigiri town of Prakasam district in August the same year. The incident came to light when the video went viral on social media.
According to a report by “The Hindu”, the girl was a 19-year-old student who was sexually assaulted by her boyfriend Sai on August 29, 2017. His friends Karthik and Pawan shot the video. All the three were arrested almost one month after the crime.
Citing police statement, the report said the victim went to meet Sai, along with a female friend. Before Sai, the girl was in a relationship with Karthik.
A report by “NDTV” says Karthik encouraged Sai to assault the girl and film the act as revenge as he was upset over her new relationship.
Are Hindus a minority in Kerala?
As per the 2011 Census, Hindus comprise 54.7 per cent of Kerala’s population, followed by Muslims (26.5 per cent) and Christians 18.3 (per cent). However, a study published by “Deccan Chronicle” in 2016 says the Hindu population in the state would drop to 49.3 per cent by 2051.
Hence, it can be concluded that the viral post is misleading. The three-year-old video is from Andhra Pradesh and not Kerala, where Hindus are not a minority yet.
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