In the wake of the ongoing hijab protests in Karnataka, a video of a man carrying a girl student is going viral on social media platforms with a claim that the video shows a Hindu girl injured in stone-pelting by Muslims during the hijab protests. Through this article, let’s fact-check the claim made in the post.
Claim: Video of a Hindu girl injured in stone-pelting by Muslims during the hijab protests in Karnataka.
Fact: These visuals are from Government Pre University College in Rabakavi Banahatti in Bagalkot district of Karnataka, wherein a girl student fainted due to exhaustion and fatigue, after which she was helped out by the college staff. While it is true that Bagalkot witnessed hijab protests, the girl in the video was not injured in those protests. In correspondence with a fact-checking agency, the district SP and the college principal clarified that the girl was not injured in stone-pelting but fainted due to exhaustion and fatigue. A few other journalists have also reported the same. Hence the claim made in the post is FALSE.
There are reports of stone-pelting in Bagalkot in the wake of the hijab protests. An internet search with relevant keywords led us to ‘The Hindu’ article which reported that a male student was injured due to stone-pelting outside the Government Pre University College in Rabakavi Banahatti in Bagalkot district. However, the article did not report any female causalities.
A journalist sharing the same video, clarified that ‘the girl was unwell, exhausted & nearly fainted after which she was helped out of the govt college campus in Bagalkot’s Rabakavi Banahatti while protests ensued outside.’
In correspondence with Alt News, a fact-checking agency, the college principal clarified that no student was injured on the campus and the girl fainted as she attended the classes with an empty stomach. He further added the teacher present at the time informed him that she had fainted due to hunger and dehydration.
Further, Bagalkot SP Lokesh Jagalasar told that the girl who fainted was unwell and the situation outside the campus stressed her. All these establish the fact that the girl in the viral video was not injured in stone-pelting but fainted due to stress.
To sum it up, the girl in the video was not injured in stone-pelting by Muslims during the hijab protests in Karnataka.
