A video that shows a group of men mercilessly beating a woman with sticks is circulating on WhatsApp. It has been claimed that the videos are from West Bengal. Alt News has received requests to verify the clip on its official mobile application.
The video is also circulating in a set of four clips, three of which show the same woman. In one of them, the men hang her from a tree and take turns to thrash her. The fourth video shows a man claiming that his cousin sister was murdered in Uttar Pradesh’s Majhola. Alt News WhatsApp helpline number (+91 76000 11160) has received verification requests for the videos. The clip of the man has been highlighted in red below.
Fact-check
Two different incidents have been clubbed together and shared as one. The three videos of a woman being assaulted is a recent incident from Madhya Pradesh while the fourth video is a month-old incident from Uttar Pradesh’s Moradabad.
Videos of woman assaulted
These clips were massively widespread on social media. According to reports, a 19-year-old tribal woman was beaten and hung from a tree by her father and male cousins of her family in Alirajpur for leaving her in-laws’ house.
A 19-year-old tribal woman was dragged by her hair, hung from a tree, and severely beaten up with sticks by her father and cousins in the #Alirajpur district of Madhya Pradesh for leaving the house of her in-laws.https://t.co/4CXuLd3NGB
— Mirror Now (@MirrorNow) July 3, 2021
“The visuals showed the victim’s father, Kel Bhel, and her three cousins –Bhuwan Bhel, Karam Bhel and Dinesh Bhel – striking her with wooden sticks and saying, “Stop crying. Will you run away again?” Another video showed her relatives, including her father, assaulting her while she was tied up and hung from a tree,” reported The Quint. Soon after the video went viral, an FIR was registered under several sections of the IPC against the four accused.
Dilip Singh Bilwal, sub-divisional officer of police, Jobat of Alirajpur district, said that the woman had married a 21-year-old man three months ago. Her family had taken Rs 3 lakh as dowry as per the tribal customs. But she used to run away from her in-laws’ house which upset her parents.
The Indian Express reported, “According to the police, the woman was unhappy in her marriage where she was perhaps being subjected to domestic violence. After she was found escaping for the second time, she was caught and thrashed by her family members as punishment.”
Moradabad police took to Twitter to put out a clarification after videos of the women’s assault began circulating as an incident from the district. The police clarified that the case is from Alirajpur, MP.
— MORADABAD POLICE (@moradabadpolice) July 6, 2021
Video of a man alleging his cousin sister was murdered
The man in the video says he is standing outside Majhola police station in Uttar Pradesh’s Moradabad. He claims that his cousin sister who was married a month ago was murdered. Moradabad police tweeted that the incident dates back to June 13 and two accused were arrested in the matter.
सोशल मीडिया पर एक महिला की मौत के बाद भी पुलिस द्वारा कार्यवाही न करने के सम्बन्ध में एक वीडियो वायरल हो रहा है उक्त सम्बंध में थाना मझोला पर प्रकरण के सम्बन्ध में दि0 13.6.21 को सुसंगत धाराओं में अभियोग पंजीकृत कर 02 अभियुक्तगण को गिरफ्तार कर जेल भेजा गया है ।@Uppolice @dgpup pic.twitter.com/Basw25hBGL
— MORADABAD POLICE (@moradabadpolice) July 5, 2021
Alt News contacted the social media cell of Moradabad police and was informed, “On June 13, the body of Mrs Rinki, aged about 23 years, was found near Chamunda Devi temple under Majhola police station, Khadana. She was the wife of Deepak, resident of Lodhipur Vishanpur police station, Majhola, Moradabad and daughter of Kallu Singh, resident of Aurangabad police station Pakbara, Moradabad. The deceased Rinki was married to Deepak on 01.05.2021. Her family members have filed a complaint with the police stating that she was tortured and murdered by her in-laws for dowry.”
According to a June 14 report in Dainik Jagran, the post-mortem report revealed that Rinki died of asphyxiation. She was found on the temple’s doorstep with a noose around her neck. There were also injury marks on her body. The police registered a case against the woman’s husband and seven others on the basis of a complaint filed by her father Kallu Singh.
Singh, who works as a farmer, claimed that 15 days after her wedding, Rinki’s in-laws demanded Rs 5 lakh to purchase a car. A day before her death, Singh had visited Rinki’s in-laws’ house to meet his daughter but he was disallowed. She died the next day and Deepak informed Singh that she died by suicide.
The police registered a case against eight including Deepak, his brother Deepanshu, mother-in-law Nanhi, sisters-in-law Soni and Rani, father-in-law Omveer and both brothers-in-law. Dainik Jagran also said that the family fled after Rinki’s death.
A July 15 report in Amar Ujala says that the police arrested her father-in-law while the seven other accused have been absconding.
Videos of two unrelated incidents are therefore circulating on social media as the same case.
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