A video showing a group of women mercilessly beating a person is circulating online with a false communal claim that a Muslim man is being attacked by some Hindu girls in Kerala because of his shameful conduct.
BOOM found that there is no communal angle to the incident and that the man was beaten by women belonging to the same Church in Thrissur, Kerala as him for allegedly morphing pictures of some priests.
In the 1 minute 45 seconds-long video, a group of women can be seen chasing a person and getting into an altercation. A few moments later, the women attack a car parked in that area and then chase down a man and beging to thrash him with sticks.
The video is being shared with a caption, "Maa Durga is igniting the Shakti in Hindu women across Bharat. In Kerala, Hindu women and girls take direct action against a Muslim man for his disgusting, inappropriate behaviour. In Kerala Hindu girls attacked a Muslim man for his obnoxious and shameful misbehaviour. The awakening has started in Kerala".
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We also received the same video on our WhatsApp tipline number (7700906588).
Fact Check
BOOM ran a related keyword search to know more about the incident and found a Mathrubhumi English news report published on January 6, 2023. We noticed that the feature image used in the article matched a screengrab from the viral video.
The report states that a person named, Shaji, was assaulted by women belonging to the Emperor Emmauel church, a Zionist church in Muriyad, Thrissur, Kerala.
People associated with the church had accused Shaji of allegedly sharing a morphed photo of the church's priests. Shaji and his family had then stopped going to the church then, the Mathrubhumi report said.
The article also added that a complaint was lodged at Aloor police station related to the incident. The police informed that more than 50 women stopped Shaji's car and assaulted him and his family.
We also found other news articles from Manorama Online and India Today covering the incident.
The Manorama Online report from January 7, 2023, states that the Aloor Police had arresed 11 women for attacking Shaji with charges including attempt to murder.
India Today, too, reported the same about the incident adding that the church authorities had filed a case against Shaji with the Aloor police earlier, and an investigation was being conducted when the attack took place.
Taking a cue, we reached out to the Aloor Police who categorically denied having any communal angle to the incident.
Aloor police sub-inspector Subind KS told BOOM, " The incident took place on January 5, 2023, in Muriyad area. The case was about beating up of a man and his family by women belonging to the Zionist Church, who had recently cut their ties with the Zionist Church. The accused and the victims both belong to the same community.
BOOM Hindi had debunked the same video when it went viral with a similar false communal claim in January this year.