A video showing a woman being groped by a man at a political rally is viral online with the false claim that the woman is a member of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) being groped by workers of the same party.
BOOM found that the claims are false, the video is from 2007 and shows a rally organised in Pakistan by the Pakistan People's Party (PPP).
The viral clip shows a woman in a pink salwar kameez participating in a rally as slogans of Jai Shree Ram are heard in the background. A man standing next to her is seen touching her inappropriately while they are campaigning. A user on X shared the clip with the caption, "BJP members who sexually assault women and even their own party women. BJP always enjoys corrupting the daughters of India. To save the daughters of India, we can only eliminate BJP. #PornHubBJP"
(Original text in Tamil: "பெண்களை அதுவும் தன் கட்சிப் பெண்கள் மீதே பாலியல் அத்துமீறலில் ஈடுபடும் பாஜகவினர். இந்தியாவின் மகள்களை சீரழிப்பதில் பாஜகவினருக்கு என்றுமே இன்பம் தான். இந்தியாவின் மகள்களை காப்பாற்ற பாஜகவை ஒழித்தால் மட்டுமே முடியும். #PornHubBJP")
Click here to view the post and here for an archive.
Another user on X claimed that the woman in the video was Kangana Ranaut and wrote, "Chant Jai Shri Ram and then put your hand anywhere. @KanganaTeam Happy Eid."
(Original text in Hindi: "जय श्री राम के नारे लगा दो फिर हाथ कहीं भी घुसा दो...!!! @KanganaTeam EID मुबारक")
Click here to view the post and here for an archive.
FACT CHECK
BOOM found that the woman in the video is Sherry Rehman and the man is Yousuf Raza Gilani; both are members of the Pakistan People's Party and the video is at least as old as 2007.
A reverse image search of some key frames from the viral video led us to multiple clips shared on YouTube that were an exact match to the viral clip. The oldest version was shared on May 16, 2007, with the title 'Sherry Rehman, Yousaf Raza Gilani, PPP Rally'
PPP refers to the Pakistan People's Party and the video shows Rehman and former PM Gilani at a rally.
Click here to view the video and here for an archive.
A story published by The Guardian on September 5, 2008 on the separate subject of protest art in Pakistan also referenced the incident. An excerpt from the article reads, "...as well as a sly dig at prime minister Yusuf Raza Gilani for his infamous apparent grope of information minister Sherry Rehman in a political rally last year."
BOOM could not independently verify the exact date and location of the video, but it is at least as old as 2007 and unrelated to the BJP.
