2017 molestation video from Uttar Pradesh shared as Bengal incident

Trigger Warning: Molestation

A video showing a number of boys molesting two girls is viral on social media with the claim that it is a recent incident from West Bengal. The video is shot by the boys themselves. The two girls can be seen trying to escape but the boys grab them and hurl expletives at them.

Sandy (Sundeep) who has a Twitter Blue profile and over 21,000 followers shared the video on May 17 with the caption: “This is the State of Affairs of Hindu Girls in West Bengal where Mamata Banarjee is the Chief Minister . No law and Order. Rohingas are Involved. Please Forward this Video to Maximum number of People so that it can Reach our Home Minister Amit Shahji @AmitShah”. The tweet has received over 1,00,000 views and 1,600 retweets. (Archive)

This is the State of Affairs of Hindu Girls in West Bengal where Mamata Banarjee is the Chief Minister . No law and Order. Rohingas are Involved. Please Forward this Video to Maximum number of People so that it can Reach our Home Minister Amit Shahji @AmitShah pic.twitter.com/yejA0tfqVV

— Sandy 🇮🇳(Sundeep) (@ssingapuri) May 17, 2023

Many other social media users shared the video with the following caption in Hindi: “A heartbreaking scene from West Bengal. Here Muslim youth has been carrying out such acts against Dalit Hindu girls every day. Tomorrow it could be your city, state or street. It might stop if power is given in the hands of strong leaders like Yogiji, Hemant Biswa.”

Twitter Blue user Pankaj Pandit, who has over 18,000 followers on the platform, shared the video on May 12 with the above-mentioned claims. (Archive)

*पश्चिम बंगाल*
*दिल दहला देने वाला दृश्य*
*मुस्लिम युवकों द्वारा*

*दलित हिन्दू बच्चियों के साथ*
*ये प्रतिदिन हो रहा है*

*कल ये आपके शहर, राज्य या गली मोहल्लो भी हो सकता है*

*ये रुक भी सकता है*
*अगर सत्ता, योगीजी, हेमंत बिस्वा*
*जैसे मज़बूत नेताओं के हाथों में हो* pic.twitter.com/Sl3FM1WxQt

— पंकज पंडित (@PankajPandit_) May 12, 2023

Another Twitter user, Manoj Srivastava, who has shared misinformation several times in the past, posted the video with a similar caption on the same day. The video has received over 300 retweets and 200 likes. (Archive)

*पश्चिम बंगाल*
*दिल दहला देने वाला दृश्य*
*मुस्लिम युवकों द्वारा*

*दलित हिन्दू बच्चियों के साथ*
*ये प्रतिदिन हो रहा है*

*कल ये आपके शहर, राज्य या गली मोहल्लो भी हो सकता है*

*ये रुक भी सकता है*
*अगर सत्ता, योगीजी, हेमंत बिस्वा*
*जैसे मज़बूत नेताओं के हाथों में हो* pic.twitter.com/GyHuzholo9

— Manoj Srivastava (@ManojSr60583090) May 11, 2023

A few other handles also shared the video in question with the above claims.

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Fact Check

We ran a Google reverse image search on a key frame of the video and came across an article from Deccan Herald published on May 29, 2017, that carried a screen-grab from the viral video. The report mentioned that the incident was from Uttar Pradesh’s Rampur district.

A further keyword search led us to more such reports from May, 2017 which said that the video was from Rampur, including the following video report from Aaj Tak.

 

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We also came across a report on ABPLive dated May 30, 2017, which said 11 of the 14 accused had been arrested, while one had surrendered and two were absconding. The report added that they had been charged under ‘The Dalit Act’.

The video was also viral in 2022 while Rajya Sabha elections were being held in Uttar Pradesh. Rampur police’s social media cell shared a statement in Hindi that said, “Video related to Rampur | The police clarifies that in connection with the said video, the accused were immediately arrested after registering charges under the relevant sections and the National Security Act (NSA) was also invoked to take strict action against the accused.” (Archive)

pic.twitter.com/sDJWEqyILl

— Rampur police (@rampurpolice) February 14, 2022

UP police’s fact check handle on Twitter also debunked this claim by clarifying that the video was from 2017. (Archive)

.@rampurpolice के अनुसार घटना वर्ष 2017 की है, तहरीर के आधार पर थाना टांडा पर अभियोग दर्ज कर राष्ट्रीय सुरक्षा कानून (NSA) के अंतर्गत वैधानिक कार्यवाही की जा चुकी है। कृपया बिना सत्यापन के भ्रामक पोस्ट कर अफवाह न फैलाएं।#UPPViralCheck#UPPolice https://t.co/cTwpQc2PjQ https://t.co/0y4iEKn1iW pic.twitter.com/l8li4EiTEW

— UPPOLICE FACT CHECK (@UPPViralCheck) February 15, 2022

Therefore, it is clear that the claims with which the video is being shared on social media are misleading. The video that is being circulated dates back to 2017 and is from Rampur, Uttar Pradesh, and not West Bengal.