WebQoof Recap: Of Misinformation Around Manipur, Violence Against Women & More

Here are the top five pieces of misinformation that went viral this week.

WebQoof Recap: Of Misinformation Around Manipur, Visuals Of Women Safety & More

(Photo: Kamran Akhter/The Quint)

From misinformation about Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leaders from Manipur falsely claimed to be the accused in the Manipur viral video case to an old case from Alwar, Rajasthan of a Dalit woman being assaulted being shared as recent, here are some pieces of misinformation that went viral this week.

1. Image of BJP Leader, Son Viral as Accused in Manipur Viral Video Case

(Trigger Warning: Mention of rape, sexual assault)

A picture of two men dressed in the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) uniform is going viral, with users identifying them as the accused in the case of Manipur viral video case, where a mob of men, reportedly form the Meitei community, paraded women from the Kuki community naked in Manipur.

The claim is false. 

(Source: The Quint)

 The viral claim is false. The picture shows vice president of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Manipur named Chidananda Singh and his son.

• Singh has lodged a complaint against those sharing the claim on their social media accounts.

You can read our fact-check here.

2. Fact-Check: 2021 Incident of Molestation of Woman in Bihar Shared as Recent

(Trigger Warning: Mention of sexual assault)

A distressing video showing a woman riding pillion on a bike getting physically assaulted by a group of men is going viral on social media with a claim that this is a recent incident from Bihar.

(Note: We have refrained from adding any archive links due to disturbing nature of the visuals.)

The video is viral on Facebook and Twitter.

(Source: Twitter/Screenshot)

Although the video is indeed from Saran, Bihar, it is an old incident.

• The video dates back to September 2021.

• The police had taken suo motu cognisance of the matter and lodged an FIR against six persons.

You can read our fact-check here.

3. Scripted Video of Couple Helping a Priest Having Seizures Goes Viral as Real

A video showing a man and a burqa-clad woman stopping on the road to help a priest who is experiencing seizures is going viral on the internet.

The video also shows a child sitting beside the priest.

An archive can be seen here.

(Source: Twitter/Screenshot)

However, this is a scripted video and does not show a real incident.

• The longer version of the video carried a disclaimer that this video was shot for 'entertainment purposes only'.

  You can read our fact-check here.

4. Old Incident of Dalit Woman Gang-Raped in Alwar Viral With Misleading Context

(Trigger Warning: Mention of rape, sexual assault)

Amid people expressing anger on Manipur viral video case, an image is going viral with a claim that a woman was gang-raped in front of her husband in Rajasthan.

Those sharing the claim have insinuated the incident happened recently in the state, however it did not spark any outrage among the "agenda peddlers."

You can view an archive of the tweet here.

(Source: Twitter/Screenshot)

While the incident happened in Rajasthan's Alwar, it dates back to 2019.

• A Dalit woman was assaulted by five men in front of her husband in Thanagazi on 26 April 2019.

• The heinous act was filmed and circulated on social media platforms.

• According to reports published in 2020, while four people were sentenced to life imprisonment, one was convicted for circulating the video.

You can read our fact-check here.

5. Old, Unrelated Video Peddled as Christian Woman Killed by RSS Mob in Manipur

(Trigger Warning: Description of violence)

As ethnic violence continues in Manipur, a disturbing video of a woman being brutally killed by an axe is going viral as a recent incident from the state.

Social media users uploaded the video with a caption mentioning that the woman was a Christian woman who was killed by members of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) in Manipur.

(We have refrained from adding any archive links due to the disturbing nature of the visuals.)

The user also asked people to pray for Manipur Christians.

(Source: Twitter/Screenshot)

However, the video is old and is unrelated to India.

• While the incident did happen, it is from Brazil.

• The woman was identified Thália Torres de Souza, a 23-year-old, who was kidnapped and murdered.

You can read our fact-check here.

(Not convinced of a post or information you came across online and want it verified? Send us the details on WhatsApp at 9643651818, or e-mail it to us at [e-mail] and we'll fact-check it for you. You can also read all our fact-checked stories here.)