Video of man attacking woman with machete given false communal spin

A 30-second video of a man attacking a woman with a machete has been shared with ‘love jihad’ claim on Twitter and Facebook. The viral messages suggest that Ismail murdered a Hindu woman named Asha.

The video was tweeted by @AchAnkurArya and Akash RSS. Both of them have shared misinformation in the past. (1,2)

इस्माइल नाम के युवक ने अपने प्रपोजल ठुकराने के लिए एक हिंदू लड़की आशा पर दिन दहाड़े तलवार से हमला कर दिया।
काफिर ही तो थी,वैसे भी पवित्र पुस्तक के हिसाब से काफिर एक जानवर से ज्यादा कुछ भी नही।
हिन्दू मुस्लिम भाई व चारा जिन्दाबाद।
आज रात का वीडियो अवश्य देखें।
😣 pic.twitter.com/SMe11tXvZg

— Ach. Ankur Arya (@AchAnkurArya) December 22, 2020

हरियाणा की निकिता के बाद अब आशा हुई लव जिहाद का शिकार कर्नाटक के हुबली का मामला pic.twitter.com/kV98jugRdB

— Akash RSS (@Satynistha) December 23, 2020

Below is a screenshot from Facebook that shows multiple users have posted the video with an identical claim.

Couple hail from the same community

Multiple media outlets, including International Business Times (IBT), The News Minute (TNM), India Today and News Karnataka reported on the incident. According to the reports, the incident took place in Hubballi in Dharwad district of Karnataka. As per IBT, the names of people involved in the incident are Ismail K Kukura and Asha Agasara.

SK Holeyannavar, the investigating police officer told TNM, “The woman ended the relationship and is now in a relationship with another man and this angered him.”

Alt News also spoke with Holeyannavar. “The man has been arrested for attempt to murder. I can confirm that both people are from the Muslim community,” he informed.

He further said that while Asha is typically a Hindu name, it is also commonly used by some communities in villages near Hubballi.

Police commissioner of Hubballi-Dharwad Labhu Ram also confirmed that the couple hails from the same community.

According to IBT, Asha works at a jewellery store in Hubballi. Her employer reiterated to Alt News that she is from the Muslim community. A Hubballi-based journalist confirmed to us that Asha is recovering well and has been shifted to the general ward.

Thus, a video of a man attacking a woman with a machete in broad daylight has been given a false communal spin. Both of them follow the same faith.