A 33-second long video in which a mob is roughing up a young man while a woman with her wrist slit stands next to him is viral on social media with the claim that this is a case of ‘jihad’ or ‘Love Jihad’.
‘Love Jihad’ is a conspiracy theory propagated by the Right Wing ecosystem, according to which Muslim men are out to entrap Hindu girls in a romantic relationship with the intention of converting them to Islam.
Right Wing propaganda outlet Sudarshan News tweeted the clip on the morning of June 10 with the following caption: “A Hindu girl from Delhi’s Inder Puri was roaming with a Muslim boy from Paharganj. There was a rift between them and the boy slit the girl’s wrist… Another Jihadi act by Jihadis inside Delhi has come to light.” (Archive)
दिल्ली इन्द्रपुरी कि हिन्दू लड़की पहाडग़ंज के मुस्लिम लड़के के साथ घूम रही थी आपस में अनबन हुई और लड़के ने लड़की कि कलाई कि नस काट दी… एक और जिहादियों द्वारा दिल्ली के अंदर जिहादी करतूत आया सामने। pic.twitter.com/6J1tytM4ex
— Sudarshan News (@SudarshanNewsTV) June 12, 2023
Verified Twitter Blue user Surya Prakash Maithil also tweeted the same Sudarshan News clip with the same Hindi caption. (Archive)
दिल्ली इन्द्रपुरी कि हिन्दू लड़की पहाडग़ंज के मुस्लिम लड़के के साथ घूम रही थी आपस में अनबन हुई और लड़के ने लड़की कि कलाई कि नस कटदी… एक और जिहादियों द्वारा दिल्ली के अंदर जिहादी करतूत आया सामने। pic.twitter.com/w8aeM8FH7Z
— सूर्य प्रकाश मैथिल (@Surya_Maithil) June 12, 2023
Several users shared the video with #LoveJihad. Among them are Amitabh Chaudhary (@Mithilawaala) who frequently shares misinformation, and Gokul Bhati 💫🧡(@GokulBhati05).
This claim video is widely circulating on both Twitter and Facebook with the same claim.
Fact Check
We began by closely following the conversation in the widely circulated video. In the footage, a middle-aged man wearing purple attire is observed addressing the girl directly. Speaking in Hindi, he utters the following words, “…Your mother carried you in her womb for nine months, show some decency. This is not right, this is not right, child.”
The man then turns his attention to the surrounding crowd and points out the girl’s wrist, stating, “She inflicted the cut on her own wrist because of her involvement with this young man. Take a look at it and record a video.” According to the middle-aged man’s account, it appears that the girl intentionally slit her own wrist.
We then proceeded to find reports concerning the incident. According to a tweet by journalist Sachin Gupta, Delhi police provided the following statement upon investigating the situation: “The young woman is from Ghaziabad and had travelled to Delhi to meet her friend. Subsequently, her father arrived at the location. Upon seeing her father, the young woman inflicted an injury upon herself. No criminal activity has taken place, and neither the girl’s family nor the girl herself has filed a formal complaint.”
Furthermore, we found a June 12 report published by Jagran. As per the report, the young woman engaged in an argument with the young man, following which she harmed herself. Consequently, the locals in the vicinity physically confronted the young man while questioning him.
The report provides further details. It states that during investigation, police found that the young woman was a resident of Ghaziabad. She walked out of her house after being angry with her family members for some reason and went to Paharganj to meet a Muslim friend. The report says that the two individuals knew each other, and upon witnessing the girl’s distress, the young man informed her family. Subsequently, an argument ensued between the two, resulting in the girl inflicting the injury upon herself.
Furthermore, the report clarifies that there is no evidence to suggest that the young man physically caused the girl’s wrist injury. The police confirmed that the incident occurred on June 7 and they continue to investigate the matter. The report also states that no allegations have been made against the young man, either by the girl or by her father.
Alt News reached out to a police official who spoke to us on condition of anonymity. The official revealed that the girl had caused the injury in the presence of her father. Since no crime was committed in this particular case, no FIR was filed. The police verified that the girl had travelled to Paharganj to meet the boy, and the argument erupted because he had informed her family about it.
To sum up, Sudarshan News falsely amplified a video showing a crowd assaulting a young man in Delhi’s Paharganj, claiming it was a case of ‘jihad’ where a Muslim man had slit the wrist of a Hindu girl. Other users called it a case of ‘Love Jihad’. Police and media reports refute these allegations. The woman hurt herself after an altercation with her friend.
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