A video of a woman vandalizing the poster of Hindu deity Shri Ram is doing rounds on social media. In the 29-second-long CCTV footage, a woman can be seen standing close to the banner placed on a platform in the middle of a moving road while her scooty is parked beside it. Toward the end of the clip, she walks to her scooty and rides away from the site. The viral video claims that the woman belongs to the Muslim community and threw eggs at the poster of the deity Shri Ram in Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar (formerly Aurangabad) in Maharashtra.
The official Twitter handle of Sudarshan News shared the video overlaid with Hindi text, “छत्रपति संभाजीनगर में जिहादी खातून” (English translation: Jihadi Khatun in Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar) and “स्कूटी रोककर श्रीराम के पोस्टर पर फेंका अंडा” (English translation: Stopped scooty and threw eggs on Shri Ram’s poster) on May 20. They shared the post with a Hindi caption, “कहां से भरा जा रहा है इतना जहर? बुर्काधारी महिला को प्रभु श्रीराम से इतनी नफरत क्यों? सड़क पर स्कूटी खड़ी की और फिर प्रभु श्रीराम की तस्वीर पर अंडे फेंके महाराष्ट्र के छत्रपति संभाजीनगर की है घटना” (English translation: From where is this poison being filled? Why does the burqa clad woman hate Lord Shri Ram so much? Parked the scooty on the road and then threw eggs on the picture of Lord Shri Ram’s picture, the incident is from Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar in Maharashtra).
Several other users shared the viral CCTV footage on social media with the same narration and similar captions.
Claim:
A Muslim woman vandalizes the Hindu deity Shri Ram poster in Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar in Maharashtra.
Fact Check:
The Logical Indian fact check team verified the claim and found it to be false, as the woman seen in the video hails from the Hindu community and is mentally disturbed.
We began our investigation by verifying the location of the viral CCTV footage with the help of Google Maps. The incident happened in Shri Ram Chowk on Darg Road of Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar (formerly Aurangabad) in Maharashtra. The area falls under the jurisdiction of the Usmanapura police station, and the similarities between both sites can be seen below.
We searched about the incident on the internet and came across a press release shared on Twitter by Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar Police Commissioner on May 20. According to the release, the woman has been identified as 38-year-old Shilpa Ramrao Garud alias Shailaja Udavat and lives in Alok Nagar, Satara. She is employed as a clerk at the Kranti Chowk post office in Jawaharnagar and was depressed due to family reasons which led to such a step.
As soon as the incident that took place on the morning of May 20 came to light, the city police began their investigation, arrested Shilpa Ramrao Garud, and seized her vehicle. She admitted having committed similar crimes in five locations, including two in the Satara area, one in Usmanpura, Pundlik Nagar, and Jawahar Nagar areas.
Further, the police stated that since Garud was mentally disturbed, she committed this crime and did not intend to create religious disharmony between the communities. However, the police have registered a case against her under Sections 295 and 427 of the Indian Penal Code.
We also found a video statement of Chhatrapati Sambhaji Nagar Police Commissioner Manoj Lohia shared on Twitter, where he confirmed that the accused hailed from the Hindu community. He cited her depression and mental instability behind her act and appealed to the public to abstain from circulating such misleading videos on social media. He clarified that the incident had nothing to do with people from different religions and had no communal angle.
Conclusion:
As per the statements issued by the Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar Police Commissioner Manoj Lohia, the woman vandalizing the poster of the Hindu deity Shri Ram in Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar in Maharashtra is mentally disturbed and belongs to the Hindu community. Further, they confirmed that the CCTV footage was viral with a false claim and the incident had no religious angle.
If you have any news that you believe needs to be fact-checked, please email us at factcheck@thelogicalindian.com or WhatsApp at 6364000343.
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Fact Check
2023-05-23 10:13:03.0
Hindu Woman Vandalizes Poster Of Deity Shri Ram In Maharashtra; Video Viral With False Communal Angle
