A video circulating on social media depicts an incident where a man appears to be forcibly taking away a young woman. Claims accompanying the video suggest that the individuals involved belong to different castes, with assertions that the man belongs to the upper caste and the girl to the lower caste. The purported incident took place in broad daylight in Jaisalmer, Rajasthan.
I.N.D.I.A alliance supporter Kavita Yadav wrote on X, ‘Kidnapping and forced marriage of a Dalit girl by an upper caste man. In Sankhala village of Jaisalmer, a youth named Pushpendra Singh kidnapped a girl along with 15-20 people. The girl was forcefully taken away from the house and then taking Agni as a witness, they took her forcibly.’
उच्च जाति के व्यक्ति द्वारा एक दलित लड़की का अपहरण और जबरन विवाह
— Kavita Yadav (@KavitaWrites) February 26, 2024
जैसलमेर के सांखला गांव में पुष्पेंद्र सिंह नाम के युवक ने 15-20 लोगों के साथ लड़की का किया अपहरण।
लड़की को घर से जबरदस्ती उठाकर ले गए और फिर अग्नि को साक्षी मानकर जबरदस्ती फेरे ले लिए। pic.twitter.com/EuL5wkppZQ
Manraj Meena wrote, ‘In Rajasthan, the atrocities against the Dalits are increasing every coming day. In Jaisalmer, a man from the upper caste kidnaps a girl from the lower caste for marriage.’
Congress Party worker Sonal wrote, ‘Alleged abduction and coerced matrimony involving a Dalit girl by an individual from an upper caste. In the village of Sankhala, Jaisalmer, a young man named Pushpendra Singh is accused of kidnapping the girl with the assistance of 15-20 individuals. The girl was reportedly forcefully removed from her residence, and the act was purportedly solemnized with the element of fire as a witness.’
उच्च जाति के व्यक्ति द्वारा एक दलित लड़की का अपहरण और जबरन विवाह
— Sonal (@Sonaalsinghh) February 26, 2024
जैसलमेर के सांखला गांव में पुष्पेंद्र सिंह नाम के युवक ने 15-20 लोगों के साथ लड़की का किया अपहरण।
लड़की को घर से जबरदस्ती उठाकर ले गए और फिर अग्नि को साक्षी मानकर जबरदस्ती फेरे ले लिए। pic.twitter.com/7TtD3u9NpD
Dalit Times wrote on X, ‘Dalit girl is being forcefully kidnapped and forcefully married in Jaisalmer Rajasthan.’
दलित लड़की को किडनैप करके जबरन जंगल में शादी के फेरे लेने का वीडियो वायरल, वीडियो राजस्थान के जैसलमेर का बताया जा रहा है. @JaisalmerPolice pic.twitter.com/qwdb9RlVXZ
— Dalit Times | दलित टाइम्स (@DalitTime) June 6, 2023
Rohtas Mathur Lodheshwar wrote, ‘The abduction and coerced marriage of a Dalit girl by an individual belonging to the upper caste is reported in Sankhala village, Jaisalmer. According to accounts, a youth named Pushpendra Singh, accompanied by a group of 15-20 individuals, forcibly took the girl from her residence.’
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Fact Check
Initiating our fact-checking process, we conducted a reverse image search on the focal keyframe of the viral video. This led us to a news report by NDTV dated June 7, 2023. According to the report, a 23-year-old woman in Jaisalmer, Rajasthan, was forcibly taken to an isolated location and coerced into participating in a ‘wedding ritual’ by an individual who was displeased about the cancellation of their engagement.
The NDTV article referenced the police statement, stating that the accused, Pushpendra, was initially engaged to the woman, but the family had called off the impending marriage. Upon discovering that the woman was set to marry another man on June 12, Pushpendra, accompanied by several others, began threatening the woman’s family by visiting their residence. Subsequently, failing to achieve their objectives through intimidation, Pushpendra abducted the woman, staged the wedding ritual, and disseminated the video with the apparent intention of defaming the woman and her family.
Moreover, we also found the report from The Indian Express, “As per Jaisalmer Superintendent of Police (SP) Vikas Sangwan, the incident took place on June 1. “Both the man and the woman belong to the same caste and their families were in talks for their marriage. However, the woman’s family eventually backed out and the main accused, Pushpendra, then tried to force the girl into marriage. Both are adults,”
Further insights into the incident were sought by examining tweets from the Jaisalmer police dated June 8, 2023. In the tweet, the Jaisalmer police reported that, under the direct supervision of the District Police Superintendent, directives were issued for the apprehension of four suspects, including the main accused, involved in the premeditated abduction of a girl for marriage. The Mohangarh police station, overseeing the case, successfully seized the vehicle utilized in the course of the incident.
In summary, the incident in question occurred in Jaisalmer, Rajasthan, in June 2023, making it approximately nine months old. It has been clarified that both the accused and the victim share the same caste. Initially, the victim and the accused were engaged to be married; however, due to undisclosed reasons, the victim’s parents withdrew their consent. In response, the accused resorted to forcibly abducting the girl and proceeded with the marriage. Notably, law enforcement has taken proactive measures by arresting four individuals linked to the case.
| Claim | Upper caste man kidnaps a girl from a lower caste and forcefully gets married |
| Claimed by | Social media users |
| Fact Check | Fake |
