A video of a man blocking the way of a young woman on a road and then the latter managing to run away is going viral on social media, along with another video where the same individual is seen limping as he is escorted by police from a jeep. The two videos are compiled together as ‘Action and Reaction’ and are being shared with the claim that the accused was a Muslim who had harassed the woman and subsequently taught a lesson by police.
On February 6, 2025, X user Chandan Sharma (@ChandanSharmaG) shared the video, claiming that the accused was a Muslim from Muzzaffarnagar, Uttar Pradesh, who was later arrested. (Archive)
The post has garnered around 4.75 Lakh views.
Another X user, Amrit Panwar, (@amritpanwar509) shared the video with a similar claim. (Archive)
Several other social media users also claimed the same.
Fact Check
During investigation, we found a press note by Muzzaffarnagar police dated February 5, 2025. It addresses the video. The note says that on February 5, a video surfaced on social media where a woman was harassed by a young man in Nai Mandi police station area. Police took cognizance of the incident and registered a case under relevant section and arrested the accused. The press also identified the perpetrator as Rohit, son of Samay Singh.
Along with the press note, Muzzaffarnagar police also uploaded a video statement by circle officer of Nai Mandi, Rupali Rao. In the video, Rao says, “Taking cognizance of the incident, Nai Mandi police immediately registered a case under relevant section. The accused has been identified as Rohit, a resident of Thana Bhopa. He has been arrested.”
A relevant keyword search led us to several news reports. On February 6, Aaj Tak reported that on Wednesday in Chowdi Gali of Nai Mandi police station area of the district, a youth named Rohit molested a young woman publicly.
According to the report, while the woman was returning from the market, a young man came walking towards her and stood in front of her and started talking to her. The girl tried to avoid him, but he kept blocking her way every time she attempted to escape. He was continuously forcing the girl to talk to him. Finally, she could manage to escape but the man started chasing her, until people around him stopped him. The entire incident was recorded by someone present there and it surfaced in social media.
Within two hours of the video coming out, police arrested the accused, reported by Dainik Bhaskar. The report also mentioned that the accused youth was Rohit, a resident of Jaoli village of Bhopa police station area.
To sum up, the claim that the accused in the Muzaffarnagar case is a Muslim is false. The perpetrator has been identified as Rohit, son of Samay Singh.
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