Unrelated Girl’s Pic Misidentified As Hathras Gang-Rape Victim
The brother of victim confirmed with The Quint that they do not know the girl in the viral image.
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The death of the 19-year-old Dalit girl from Hathras, Uttar Pradesh who had been allegedly gang-raped by four upper caste men, caused an uproar on social media with several users demanding immediate justice.
An image of a young girl standing in the middle of the fields in pink clothes has been circulating on social media, falsely identifying her as the victim. The brother of the victim told The Quint that they do not know the girl in the viral image.
CLAIM
Several social media users have shared the image of the unidentified girl, asking for justice.
Madhu Kishwar, a professor at the Indian Council of Social Science Research, and the founder of human and women's rights organisation, Manushi, shared the same image.
Among others who shared the image is V Narayanasamy, the chief minister of Puducherry.
Motivational speaker, Geet Monga also shared the same image, with the caption, “My heart breaks just thinking about what this beautiful innocent girl must have endured (gang raped, tongue cut off, neck & spinal cord broken). No one should face such torture Enough is enough! Things needs to change..now! (sic)”
The tweet had garnered over 2,000 retweets and 2,300 likes at the time of writing this article.
Several users also shared the image on Facebook.
The Quint has blurred the face and name in the screenshots to protect the identity of the unidentified girl and the victim.
WHAT WE FOUND OUT
The victim’s brother told The Quint that the image circulating on social media is not of his sister and they do not know this girl.
We could trace the image back to 25 July 2018, when user Ajay had uploaded a picture of his sister on Facebook, demanding justice for alleged medical negligence, which led to her death.
Ajay has also posted a clarification on Facebook, stating that the viral image is that of his sister, who had passed away in 2018.
The Quint hasn’t been able to independently verify the post but has reached out to Ajay for a clarification. The story will be updated as and when he responds.
But, it is evident that an old photo from an unrelated case is being shared with a claim that she is the Hathras gang-rape victim.
(Editor’s Note: The story has been updated to add a 2018 Facebook post, which identifies the girl.)
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