A video going viral on social media (here, and here) shows a woman bleeding from the head, being escorted by two men holding her hands. The video is being shared with claims that Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) supporters assaulted a Dalit woman, raped her, and shaved her head. Let’s verify the truth behind the video in this article.
Disclaimer: This article contains sensitive visuals that may distress some viewers, reader discretion is advised.
Claim: Video shows a Dalit woman bleeding from the head after being assaulted, raped, and having her head shaved by Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) supporters.
Fact: The video shows an incident that occurred on 9 November 2024 in Madhonagar village, Kannauj, Uttar Pradesh. 13-year-old Anuradha Katheria was severely injured at a fair when her hair got caught in a swing’s roller, ripping off her scalp.The video is unrelated to claims of assault, rape, or head-shaving by BJP supporters. Hence, the claim made in the post is FALSE.
A reverse image search of the keyframes from the viral video led us to a social media post on X featuring the same viral video, dated 12 November 2024. The caption of the post revealed that 13-year-old Anuradha Katheriya’s hair got caught in a swing’s pipe at a fair in Madhonagar, Kannauj, causing severe injury. She was rushed to Lucknow in critical condition.
Taking a clue from the description of the post, a Google keyword search led us to multiple news reports (here, here, and here) featuring the same viral video. According to reports, On 9 November 2024, 13-year-old Anuradha Katheria was severely injured at a fair in Madhonagar village, Kannauj, Uttar Pradesh. Her hair got caught in a swing roller, ripping off her scalp. Eyewitnesses rushed to stop the swing, but she was bleeding and fainted at the scene. The fair, organised by Shri Shri 1008 Swami Nityananda Seva Samiti, includes various activities like puja ceremonies and swing rides.
To sum up, a video of a girl’s scalp injury in a U.P. swing roller is falsely shared as an assault on a Dalit woman.
