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| - Fact Check: Video doesn't show Muslim students demanding Hindu woman to wear burqa
The saree-clad woman in the video confirmed to India Today that there was no communal angle to the matter. The fight was over a bus stop in Kerala.
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India Today Fact Check
The saree-clad woman seen in the video, Asha Bhaskar, has refuted the viral claim. According to her, the argument was related to a bus stop issue and there was no mention of a burqa throughout the dispute.
A video of a verbal altercation between a group of burqa-clad women and another woman in a saree has gone viral on social media, accompanied by communal claims. Those sharing the video, like the RSS mouthpiece Panchjanya, claimed that it showed a group of Muslim women demanding a Hindu lady to wear a burqa if she wanted to travel on a public transport bus.
One such post claimed, "Shocking video from Kerala - Muslim women force Hindu woman to cover her head (Sharia compliant), wear a burqa while travelling in a bus (public transport), video goes viral."
A similar claim was also made by American far-right activist Amy Mek. The archived version of such posts can be seen here, here and here.
India Today Fact Check found that the claim, along with the video, is false. Asha Bhaskar, the saree-clad woman in the video, confirmed that there was no communal angle to the matter.
Our Investigation
In the video, the women were speaking in Malayalam. At no point in the exchange audible in the clip, however, was there any mention of religion.
Upon a close examination of the video, we identified a local inverter business's mobile number written on a poster inside the bus.
Using this number, we managed to contact the conductor of the bus, Manoj, who was a witness to the incident. Manoj refuted the viral claims when speaking to India Today Fact Check. He clarified, "The incident occurred inside our bus, Sri Guruvayurappan, on October 20. The bus was travelling from Mulleria-Kumbla in the Kasaragod district of Kerala when a group of students from Khansa Women’s College for Advanced Studies blocked it near the Narayana Mangalam area to board it.”
He further explained, “There has been a longstanding demand for a bus stop in front of their college, but it has not been sanctioned yet. On that day, students were agitated because several buses did not stop in front of their college. The saree-clad woman you see in the video spoke in favour of the bus people, leading to the altercation between her and the students. The confrontation continued for some time."
With the help of local journalists, we also contacted Asha Bhaskar, the saree-clad woman in the video. Asha, who works as an office assistant at Kumbla Academy, an educational institute in Kumbla, also refuted the communal claims circulating on social media.
She clarified, "The students did not make any such communal statements as claimed in the social media posts. The students were already agitated because the vehicle did not stop at the bus stop in front of their college. While entering the bus, one of them accidentally stepped on my foot, which angered me. The altercation between me and the students began at this point. I also scolded them for blocking the bus. I travel this route every day, and this fight for a bus stop near Khansa has been ongoing for a while now."
We also obtained more videos of the incident in which students and bus employees can be heard arguing over the bus stop issue.
Anoob Kumar, the Station Head Officer of Kumbla Police Station, also confirmed to India Today that the viral claims were false. He stated, "I have spoken to the bus owners and the Principal of Khansa College. The college has been demanding sanction for a bus stop, but the Regional Transport Office (RTO) has not approved it yet. This was the basis of the entire altercation seen in the video. We have not received any complaints indicating that the students were pressuring the woman to wear a burqa."
It is therefore evident that the video in question has been shared with false communal claims on social media.
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You can also send us an email at factcheck@intoday.com
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