Fact check: This video does NOT show a Muslim man stabbing a Hindu girl

West Bengal is in an uproar following the rape and murder of a medical student at RG Kar Medical College and Hospital in Kolkata. Police have arrested the main accused and handed him over to the CBI on the Supreme Court's orders. However, in various parts of the state, including Kolkata, common people are protesting on the streets demanding punishment of the culprits.

A video now being shared on social media shows an angry mob beating up a boy. A schoolgirl can also be seen bleeding due to a head injury in the video. An Instagram user shared the clip and wrote, “Just watch a Muslim boy stabbing a Hindu girl in broad daylight!! Hindus are not safe under Mamata Raj! Shocking!! The situation in West Bengal is horrific. Will soon spread to Kolkata and rest of the neighbouring states too where infiltrated Muslims from Bangladesh/Myanmar are being driven out of Bengal with paid Aadhaar/voter IDs/ and ration cards++ so keep voting TMC to see more!! This can happen to me anytime too.”

India Today found that the man who attacked the girl is not a Muslim but a Hindu. His name is Abhijit Dutta, as mentioned in the FIR regarding the incident.

OUR PROBE

A reverse image search for key frames of the viral video led us to the same clip shared by Bengali film actress Swastika Mukherjee on her Facebook page on September 5. In the caption, she wrote, “In Prafulla Nagar area of ​​Belgharia, a neighborhood boy tried to attack a Class 10 girl with a gun when they were returning home from school in front of their mother. The villagers intervened, arrested the accused boy and beat him up.”

Based on the above information, a subsequent keyword search led us to a report with a screenshot from the viral video published by the Times of India on September 4. It mentioned that Abhijit Dutta of Prafulla Nagar, Belgharia, attacked a 14-year-old and stabbed her at least three times after she slapped him for making objectionable remarks. The report added that her mother was also injured during the altercation.

We then contacted the SI (Sub-Inspector) of Belgharia police station, Bipen Tamang, who is also the investigating officer in the case. He told India Today Fact Check, “There is no Hindu-Muslim issue here. Both the accused boy and the student concerned are Hindus and live in the same area. The boy who attacked the girl is named Abhijit Dutta.”

We then contacted Swapan Sarkar, a neighbour of the victim who had witnessed the incident. He also told us that “the accused who attacked the girl is not a Muslim but a Hindu. His name is Abhijit Dutta. After he attacked the girl, we caught him and beat him so badly that he became unconscious. Police officers from Belgharia police station took him to a hospital. We have also filed a complaint against the accused at Belgharia police station.”

Sarkar also shared the FIR copy of the incident. In it, the name of the main accused Abhijit Dutta was mentioned. Moreover, Rishikesh Paul and five other anonymous persons were implicated in the incident, but no Muslim name was mentioned.

So it is clear that the viral video does not show a Muslim boy stabbing a Hindu girl. The accused is a Hindu named Abhijit Dutta.

(written by Surajuddin Mondal)