Trigger Warning: Rape
A video of a dishevelled girl writhing in discomfort is viral on social media with users claiming that she is a 12-year-old Dalit girl who was gang-raped by Hindu men and thrown near a jungle in Gujarat. Verified account @AsianDigest tweeted the video with this claim. (Archive)
User @PajetWorldOrder also tweeted the video with the same claim.
Several other users amplified the viral claim. (Archives- 1, 2)
Fact Check
Upon a reverse image search with key frames of the video, we found that this video was viral in November 2023 as well. Several Right Wing influencer accounts then stated that the girl in the video had been raped by Muslim men in Sujawal, Sindh province in Pakistan. These tweets were also fact-checked by X users who stated that the video was 4-year-old.
Taking a cue from this, we performed a Google keyword search and found several articles from June 2019 reporting this incident. According to a Times of India article dated June 9, 2019, a minor Hindu girl was intoxicated before being raped by two men in Tando Mohammad Khan in Pakistan’s southern Sindh province on the third day of Eid-ul Fitr. The 13-year-old survivor was a resident of Sujawal in Tando Muhammad Khan. She was found in an unconscious state on a playground. The victim had reportedly gone out to bring some groceries and on her way to the shop, two men called her to them, forced her to drink liquor and raped her.
We also found several updates on the case by Human Rights activist Kapil Dev. He posted a picture of the two main accused in the case, Roshan Shaikh & Rajab Shaikh, who are evidently Muslims. He also attached images of the FIR lodged against the two.
Update on Jamna Case: Two main accused rapists Roshan Shaikh & Rajab Shaikh has been arreated & an FIR has been lodged against them. #Justiceforjamna pic.twitter.com/5PWQwJz9x3
— Kapil Dev کپل دیو (@KDSindhi) June 8, 2019
We also sourced an image of the two accused men behind bars.
We also noted that former Pakistani federal minister for climate change & environment Sherry Rehman had urged users to not share the video of the girl in a 2019 tweet.
Arrests have been made by Sindh Govt am told. This a heinous series of crimes, not just one. Even after culprits r behind bars this innocent young girl will have trouble regaining any kind of life. I would urge all concerned not to share her videos. #Justice4Jamna https://t.co/Fi9kuda2jn
— SenatorSherryRehman (@sherryrehman) June 8, 2019
Pakistani journalist Mukesh Kumar had shared an image of the victim’s family accompanied by the police at the SSP’s office, pictured with the main accused after they were apprehended.
Hence, a 2019 video of a victim of rape from Sindh in Pakistan is viral with the claim that the rapists were Hindu men. In reality, the 13-year-old girl was raped by two Muslim men, Roshan Shaikh & Rajab Shaikh.
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