No, Rahul Gandhi Did Not Call Kolkata Rape and Murder Case ‘Unimportant’

The claim is misleading. There is no evidence which shows that Rahul Gandhi called the Kolkata case "unimportant."

The viral claim that Rahul Gandhi called the RG Kar rape and murder case is misleading.

(Source: X/Altered by The Quint)

A video of Congress leader and Leader of the Opposition of Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi, speaking to media personnel, has gone viral on social media.

• In the video, Gandhi responds to a question about the Supreme Court asking doctors protesting the rape and murder case at Kolkata's RG Kar Medical College and Hospital to end their strike, by saying that the reporter was creating distractions.

The claim: Those sharing this 13-second clip have claimed that Gandhi told the reporter not to distract him, as he was there "for a more important work."

• X (formerly Twitter) user @MrSinha_ was among those sharing the claim, adding that he called the Kolkata case "unimportant."

An archive of this post can be seen here.

(Source: X/Screenshot)

At the time of writing this report, this post had gathered over 12 lakh views.

(Archives of more posts with this claim can be seen here and here.)

Is it true?: No, the claim is misleading.

• A longer version of the video does not show Gandhi calling the Kolkata case "unimportant," nor does it carry any statement calling the purpose of his visit "more important," as claimed.

How did we find out the truth?: A simple reverse image search on Google Lens led us to a report on Moneycontrol.com, which mentioned that the incident happened when Gandhi was in Rae Bareli on 20 August.

• Gandhi was visiting his constituency, Uttar Pradesh's Rae Bareli, after a 22-year-old Dalit man was shot dead by eight people, when he was asked this question.

The video shows Gandhi interacting with the press in Rae Bareli.

(Source: Moneycontrol/Screenshot)

• Using keywords such as 'Rahul Gandhi Rae Bareli', we looked for a longer version of the video.

• We found it on The Tribune's verified YouTube channel, which carried a three-minute long video of his statement.

At the 2:04 mark in this video, reporters asked him to comment on the horrific rape and murder of a resident doctor at Kolkata's RG Kar Medical College and Hospital.

• He responds by saying, "I have come here for this incident. I have given my statement and presented my views on the Kolkata incident. I don't want to distract from this issue here, so I have come here to raise this issue."

• When another reporter asks him for his views as the LoP, about the Supreme Court asking the protesting doctors to end their strike, Gandhi maintains his position.

"Brother, I have come here for this issue. I know that you don't want this matter to be raised, you want to distract me.This is because you don't want to talk about Dalits. Am I right? You don't want to talk about Dalits and I have come here to protect Dalits and talk about their issues, so I will not allow distractions."

Rahul Gandhi, speaking to the media in Rae Bareli on 20 August 2024

A clip of this interaction was shared on Gandhi's X account, which showed the same incident from a different angle.

Gandhi on the Kolkata case: When the news of the rape and murder broke on 10 August, the leader took to X to share his statement.

• Calling the incident 'shocking' and 'gruesome', he mentioned that there was an "atmosphere of insecurity among the doctors' community and women."

• While calling for all parties and sections of society to band together to "take concrete steps on the continuously increasing incidents against women," he expressed solidarity with the deceased's family, adding that "They should get justice at all costs and the culprits should be given such a punishment that it is presented as an example in the society."

Conclusion: Gandhi's statement is being shared with a misleading claim which states that indirectly called the Kolkata rape and murder case "unimportant."

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