Fact-Check: Bilaspur 'Attack' Debunked as Scuffle Over Headlights, Not Religion

By: Shikha Yadav

A claim was made on X from the account @SanatanPrabhat that a Hindu man was attacked by an Islamist mob in the Bilaspur district of Chhattisgarh turned out to be a scuffle of two individuals about dipping the headlight of the car as per the fact-check carried out based on the police records. The post on X shows a video and a few pictures of the victim and links to their website article about the same incident presenting the same claim.

 

Screenshots of articles in Organiser and Sanatan Prabhat

The article linked to the X post claims that the victim of the attack was wearing a tulsi garland and the assailants, attacked him after mistaking his name for a particular religious identity. According to the report, the victim went to the police station and filed a complaint. However, no other relevant information like the date of filing the First Information Report (FIR) was mentioned in the article.

Further inspection of the X post pointed to a watermark (@subhi_karma) in the video attached. A page has been found on X with this ID of Subhi Vishwakarma, who published a ground report in Organiser, the RSS mouthpiece about the incident. The link to the article was shared by the X user in the same thread.

The Organiser report also puts forward similar claims with some additional ones that a friend of the victim was present in the vehicle who belonged to the same religion as the assailants intervened only after the victim sustained serious injuries. 

However, the Organiser report also shares the details of the First Information Report (FIR number: 419/2024) filed by the victim at the Civil Lines police station in Bilaspur on May 7. Though an image of the FIR was given along with the report, details were not readable in the image. 

Utilising the online FIR search database of Chattisgarh Police, the original FIR of the incident was retrieved. Upon inspection, it was found that the communal angle of the incident as mentioned in the reports of the Organiser and the Sanatan Prabhat and the social media handles was not true.

After going through the FIR, it was found that the reason for the attack was an argument related to dipping the headlights of the car following which the attackers thrashed the victim, not due to Tulsi garland as stated in the articles. There is no mention in the FIR regarding arguments over the religious identities of the people involved. The FIR also shows that the friend of the victim wasn't seated back and reacted late instead he intervened and witnessed the whole incident and helped in identifying the attackers.

Hence, the viral claim is false and tries to incite highly dangerous communal angles with the use of exaggerated and manipulated facts.

Fact-check: Viral Video Alleging Gorilla-Like Human Birth in Bangladesh Actually Shows Gorilla Birth at Fort Worth Zoo

 

By: Sayan Bhaskar

A viral video which is being circulated on social media, claiming that a woman in Thakurgaon district, Bangladesh, gave birth to a child resembling a gorilla, has been proven false. The misleading video, initially posted by the Facebook user Sahed Ahmed, garnered an overwhelming response, accumulating 54k reactions, 2.7k comments, and amassing 8.9 million views before it was deleted from the platform. However, the same video continues circulating on other platforms such as YouTube (Link) and Instagram (Link).

Verification and Findings

Frames from the viral video were extracted and analyzed using reverse image search tools. These searches revealed that the footage originally came from an Instagram post by the Fort Worth Zoo, based in Texas, USA.

The comparison of the viral video ( left) and the Instagram post of Fortworth Zoo(right)

Upon closer examination, it was revealed that the video showcased the birth of a gorilla baby, which bore a striking resemblance to the one depicted in the false claim. Notably, the background setting and the holding cloth observed in the gorilla birth footage mirrored those seen in the misleading video circulating on social media platforms.

The comparison of the viral video ( left) and the Instagram post of Fortworth Zoo(right)

The original video was found on the Fort Worth Zoo’s official Instagram account. Posted earlier than the viral Facebook claim, the video documents the birth of a gorilla at the zoo, not a human baby. The zoo’s Instagram reel clearly shows a newborn gorilla, debunking any connection to a human birth in Bangladesh.

The claim that a woman in Thakurgaon district, Bangladesh, gave birth to a gorilla-like child is false. The video in question depicts a gorilla birth at the Fort Worth Zoo. This incident highlights the ease with which misinformation can spread on social media platforms and underscores the importance of verifying the authenticity of sensational claims.

हिमाचल में वढ़ रहे अनुसूचित जाति के विरूद्ध मामले।

By Abhishek Kumar

हिमाचल प्रदेश में अनुसूचित जाति के विरूद्ध दर्ज मामलों में एसटी/एससी अधिनियम के तेहद काफी इजाफा हुआ है। हमने पिछले दस वर्षों 2011-2020 तक के आंकड़ों का विश्लेषण करने पर यह पाया की वर्ष 2019-20 के दौरान अनुसूचित जाति के लोगों के विरूद्ध किए जाने वाले अपराधों की दर में 32.21 प्रतिशत की वृद्धि दर्ज की गई।  इन आंकड़ों के अनुसार सिर्फ तीन (3) वर्षों यानी 2014,2015 और 2017 के अलावा अन्य दिन वर्षों में वृद्धि पाई गईं। 2012 में वर्ष 2011 की अपेक्षा 37.23 प्रतिशत यानी कुल 129 मामले दर्ज किए गए। वहीं वर्ष  2020 में दर्ज कुल मामलों कि संख्या 250 जो कि वर्ष 2014 की तुलना में 32.27 प्रतिशत अधिक थी। समाजिक न्याय अधिकारिता विभाग के द्वारा प्रकाशित एक रिपोर्ट के अनुसार अनुसूचित जातियों की संख्या हिमाचल प्रदेश में 57 है। अतः अनुसूचित जाति के विरूद्ध दर्ज होने वाले मामलों में लगभग दोगुनी बढ़ोतरी हुई है।

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Number of Juvenile Rape Convicts in India declines : NCRB data

Representative Image

By: Gargi Sud

India recorded a steep decline in the number of juvenile rape convicts over the past 8 years (2012-2020) according to the data provided by the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB). While this decline is reflected across all the age groups that qualify as juvenile, the prominent decline is seen among the age group of 16 to 18 years.

In 2020, 777 juveniles in the aforementioned age group were convicted of rape crimes. The year recorded the lowest convictions for the age groups below 12 and below 16 as well. The total convictions in the below 18 year age group for the year 2020 was 1022. This marked a 26.10 percentage decline as compared to the figure in 2019.

After the Delhi gang rape case, the number of cases being reported increased which increased the number of convicts (for all age groups) as well. The definition of who is a juvenile changed in the year 2015 under the Juvenile Justice Act where the age was reduced from 18 to 16. Initially a decline was seen in the number as a total of 1337 juveniles were convicted in 2015. But in 2016, this number increased to 1561 for the age group 16-18 reflecting a 16.75 percentage increase. Since then, there was a continuous decline in the number of juvenile convicts of rape crime, specifically in the age group 16 to 18 years.

 

2020 which marked the steep decline was apparently the year of the COVID-19 outbreak as well. Some observers attribute the nationwide lockdowns imposed during the various phases of the COVID-19 virus outbreak as the reason for the decline in number of juvenile rape convicts. However, others point out that it could be a case of cases not being reported.

“Lockdown can be a reason of the decline but rape cases not being reported are a major reason. 50-60% of the convictions decreases due to victim changing statements under societal pressure and due to lack of family support,” said Mr. Krishan Rana who is working with Gunjan, a NGO working for women and child empowerment in Dharamshala, Himachal Pradesh.

According to a police official in Dharamshala, children below 18 years of age are exposed to a lot of peer pressure and are curious to know about new things and experiment them. They suggested that it is important for parents to have a friendly relation with children and to counsel them at different points of time.

The official also stated that it is often seen that the victims change their original statements and often refuse to identify the arrested culprits leading to dismissal of the case without conviction.

Rana also point out that unrestricted use of gadgets and the access to inappropriate content through the gadgets could be one reason for juveniles committing such crimes. “The child should be made aware about the appropriate content from the very beginning. There should be a proper timing for the children to use a gadget under parental check. Parental locks should be used. I have taken a parental lock for my child because it is parent’s responsibility to keep a check on the content and apps being used by the child,” says he.

According to him, the laws to prevent sexual assault need to be strict in both juvenile as well as adult cases. “Sixteen is a bigger age since there are a lot of cases reported from schools especially in metro cities. There is a need for strict ruling and guidelines. 6 months rehabilitation period will not have much impact on a rapist so the rehabilitation term should be increased to 1-2 years,” he said.

However, imprisonment may not be the most effective correctional measure for juvenile convicts. According to Rana, a juvenile rape convict should not be sent to the adult jail as it increases their chances of getting “exploited” by adult criminals. “Juvenile rehabilitation centers should be properly inspected by the government to avoid any societal discrimination and there must be provisions for education of the convicts”, said he.

Himachal Pradesh ranks fifth in Women Literacy in India

Representative image credits: Unsplash

By: Shrishti Chaubey

According to the latest figures from National Family Health Survey (NFHS), Himachal Pradesh stands at 5th position in women literacy in India with 91.7% percentage of women in the state being literate. Kerala tops the list with 98.3% literate women followed by Lakshadweep with 96.5%. While Mizoram stood at 94.4%, Goa secured 4th position with 93%.

The national average in women literacy in 2019-21 stands at 78.97%. A total of 18 states/UTs fall below the national average in the percentage of women who are literate. Bihar with 57.8% has the least percentage of women literacy followed by Jharkhand being the second-worst player with 61.7%. 

 

Districts of Himachal Pradesh recorded better results as compared to the national average since 7 out of 12 districts scored more than 90% whereas the other 5 districts scored more than 83%. Hamirpur attained the first position with 94.80% and Kangra being the second competitor with 94.40% followed by Mandi having 94%. Chamba was the worst performer among all scoring 84.10% followed by Sirmaur with 84.90%. Plain regions like Kangra and Una performed well as compared to tribal and upper regions (Kinnaur, Lahaul and Spiti, and Chamba) of Himachal Pradesh. According to NFHS methods, women who completed  9th standard schooling or higher educational qualification and can read a whole sentence or part of a sentence is considered literate.

National Family Health Survey (NFHS-5) is the fifth series of surveys which is prepared by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Government of India which aims to provide information on the population, health, and nutrition in each state and union territory in India. NFHS-5 is divided into two phases, where phase-I is conducted in 2019-20 for 22 states/UTs and phase-II in 2019-21 for 14 states/UTs.

 

The NFHS-5 survey for Himachal Pradesh was conducted from 16 July 2019 to 5 November 2019 by Population Research Center, Himachal Pradesh University, Shimla. The fact sheet provides information from 10,368 women aged 15-49 years.

Post-Corona World: The New Normal!!

The world has changed drastically from the past few months. Everyone has been impacted by the COVID - 19. People, despite any age group and sex, have had to go through some of the other major changes in life, which earlier seemed nearly impossible. Some of the major transitions include wearing masks all the time, sanitizing one-self every now and then, and most importantly social distancing. These habits are now the foundation of a healthy lifestyle. People now have compromised with the situation and have adapted it as a part of their daily life.

World's largest democracies like the US, Brazil, and even India have portrayed the whole situation of COVID - 19 in a comparatively transparent manner. Due to the larger and wider presence of media, these countries could not filter the information transmitted to the masses, nationally or internationally. For a country to flourish in a healthy way, media and people have to work parallelly, in a participatory manner.

However, this crisis has come as a blessing and opportunity for some. Governments have officially started to monitor the lives of their citizens. Businessmen have also tried to take the benefit of the prevailing situation. Poor and people with limited means have suffered the most. The daily haunting scenes of people migrating by foot with no supply of food for days, no money in their pockets, and regular and painful deaths were gaining importance on the media yet people were attaining normalcy with these events. This was the hardest migration the natives' have ever faced after the partition of 1947. The excruciating pain and impressions of horror it left are a big taint on the Indian system of governance.

Lockdowns have made us sit at home for months without taking a glance at the outside world even for a jiffy. Human beings have a tendency of moving continuously, and therefore this was a major shift we made. For the first time, we had enough time to be at home with our loved ones and with ourselves. Many psychological phases one must have faced being at home.

Nobody experiences similar things yet they are all one of a kind. Sub-themes may vary but one major theme stays. What is normal and what is weird may have different definitions for different people. One can not generalize a common definition of being the new normal. It is up to us to adapt to the changes we are experiencing at the moment and be at peace with it, and make it a part of  'normalcy'.

Dharamshala reels under scarcity of parking spaces

Traffic jam near Kacheri Junction in Dharamshala (Image Credit: Shubham)

By: Shubham Sharma

 Dharamshala: Despite being selected to be developed as a smart city, Dharamsala is yet to have enough parking spaces in the city limits. Though a new parking lot has just finished construction in the DC office compound, it is limited in capacity.

Baldev Guleria, the guard who takes care of the parking lot in the DC office, says that when traffic increases the place gets filled easily. "This parking lot is too small and gets filled up easily when the traffic increases'', he said. The parking lot can accommodate only 60 cars.

Most of the hotels have no parking available and even government offices have insufficient parking. Due to this, in most places in the city limits and the adjoining tourist spots, vehicles park on the road side, often causing traffic jams, especially on peak days.

         "Dal Lake is a good place but for tourists, there is no area for parking available. The vehicles of tourists have to be parked on the roadside,'' said Nikita Patel, a tourist from Gujarat. Especially after the recent snowfalls, road to Naddi and Dal Lake got choked with traffic jams on weekends as hundreds of tourists poured in to enjoy the snow. In the absence of parking space, vehicles parked on the side of these narrow roads holds up the entire traffic. “My family members had to wait for an hour in the car to reach the tourist spot, due to the traffic jam”, says Nikita.

This is also affecting the local business as well. According to Saurabh Thakur, one of the owners of Thakur Tea Stall near the Police Ground, this cost him good business on certain days. "Due to lack of parking, people are not able to stop nearby to have a cup of tea,'' says he.

The narrow roads are a big issue here, especially during the peak season from May to June, says Vijay Kumar, a traffic police officer in Dharamshala. “There shall be one way system in the city to improve the situation”, says he. Many shop keepers feel that the parking problem in Dharamshala and nearby tourist places such as Dharamkot, Bhagsu Naag, Dal Lake, Mcleodganj, and Naddi could be eased by developing some more parking areas.

     

The absence of parking spaces has also resulted in people getting used to parking by the roadside. "More parking lots are needed but strict rules are also required as in case of other smart cities like Chandigarh”, says Vijay Kumar. “In those cities, police quickly takes away vehicles which violate parking rules”, he said.