A viral post on social media claims that a student returning from a protest against the rape and murder of a doctor in Kolkata, was brutally murdered.
However, this claim is false. BOOM found that the East Bardhaman Police of West Bengal has denied the claim on social media, stating that it is a rumour, and that action will be taken against those spreading it. The police also confirmed to BOOM that no such complaint has been received.
The claim was shared in the wake of a real incident where a trainee doctor was raped and murdered at Kolkata's RG Kar Medical College and Hospital in the intervening night of August8-9. The victim was a second-year MD student in the Chest Medicine department, and her body was found in the hospital's seminar hall. This led to nation-wide strikes and protests by the medical fraternity.
On the night of August 14, 2024, a "Reclaim the Night" protest was organised by women in various parts of West Bengal, including Kolkata. Around this time, social media posts began circulating about another alleged rape case in Bengal.
Bengali actress Swastika Mukherjee shared a post on Facebook stating, "Ankita Bauri, missing while returning home after the protest march. There is no end to this." (Translated from Bengali)
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Similarly, another user on X posted saying, "A girl named Ankita Bauri, a student of Burdhwan University, West Bengal, was returning home after taking part in the march to seek justice for Dr. *****. She was raped and brutally murdered. The The goons crushed his face with a stone so that no one could recognize."
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Fact-check: False Claim Circulated on Social Media
BOOM found that the viral claim is false. The sub-inspector of Bardhaman police station told BOOM that no complaint has been received involving the name Ankita Bauri.
To verify the viral claim, BOOM conducted a search on X using relevant keywords. We found a post stating that the Ankita Bauri case is fake, and that the real name of the victim is Priyanka Hansda. Additionally, it was clarified that this case has no connection with the doctor’s rape-murder case.
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After this, we conducted a Google search using relevant keywords and found a report published by The Statesman on August 17, 2024. The report stated that the body of a tribal girl student was discovered in a field in Nandur village, which falls under the jurisdiction of Bardhaman police station. The report revealed that she had been murdered by having her throat slit.
The report revealed that 22-year-old Priyanka Hansda was a student of MA (Philosophy) at Burdwan University and also worked part-time as a sales executive at a shopping mall in Bardhaman. On Independence Day, news of her rape and murder went viral. However, East Burdwan SP Amandeep Singh denied the possibility of rape, stating, "No evidence of rape was found in the post-mortem. The family members have also not made any such complaint."
A report from The Telegraph dated August 17, 2024, also mentioned that the police issued a clarification regarding the viral claim of the girl's rape and murder. SP Amandeep confirmed that the postmortem report did not show any signs of sexual assault on the victim.
Following this, we checked the social media handles of the East Bardhaman Police and found a post on Facebook where they denied the case involving Ankita Bauri. The post stated, "Some people are spreading rumors that a girl named Ankita Bauri was raped and murdered on August 14 while returning home after participating in a march related to the RG Kar incident. The truth is that no such incident of rape and murder of a girl named Ankita Bauri has taken place in Bardhaman. Strict action is being taken against those spreading such rumours. East Bardhaman Police is committed to the safety of women."
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Additionally, we contacted the East Bardhaman Police Station, where Sub Inspector Parvez Hasan confirmed, "We have not received any such complaint. No missing diary has been registered with us."
(With additional inputs from Srijit Das)