Fact Check: This horrific video of sexual violence is NOT from Manipur, it’s from West Bengal

By Tanujit Das: Following the horrific footage of two Kuki-Zo women being paraded naked in Manipur, another video of sexual violence allegedly from the northeastern state has emerged. The video shows two women being stripped naked and beaten fiercely by an agitated mob.

The video was shared with texts like “Need Justice for Manipur Violence,” and other hashtags related to the ongoing conflict in the state. An archived version of the tweet can be seen here.

India Today found that the viral video is not from Manipur but from Malda in West Bengal.

OUR PROBE

A reverse search of keyframes from the viral video led us to a news report by TV9 Bangla dated July 21. Per the report, two women were allegedly beaten and paraded half-naked by local shopkeepers over theft accusations in the Papua Hat area of the Malda district in West Bengal.

On July 22, India Today, the Times of India, ABP Live, and ETV Bharat published reports containing the same information. All these reports contained screengrabs from the viral video.

We also found Bangla news reports published on ABP Ananda, TV9 Bangla, and Ananda Bazar about the incident. Reportedly, the two women victims were arrested for their alleged involvement in ransacking a local police outpost.

After five days, they were granted bail by the Malda District Court. India Today reached out to Pradip Kumar Yadav, the superintendent of police in Malda. He said that an investigation had been initiated against four police officials in the matter.

The same was reported by ABP Live, AajTak, TV9 Bangla, and the other media outlets.

Thus, it is evident that the shared video is not from Manipur but from Malda in West Bengal.