Claims have surfaced alleging that a Dalit woman in Khandwa, Madhya Pradesh, was set on fire for refusing to withdraw a harassment case against the father of the accused. These allegations are being presented as a caste-based hate crime, with a focus on the victim’s Dalit identity to emphasize caste-based violence. However, D-Intent Data has found that both the victim and the accused belong to the same caste, and they are distant relatives.
Making a post on X (Formerly Twitter) propagandist account @ambedkariteIND wrote. Horrible, A 19-year-old Dalit woman from a village near Khandwa in Madhya Pradesh was allegedly set on fire by the son of a man she had accused of harassment.
The truth behind the claims, Fact Check
As soon as the posts containing the claims came to our notice. Subsequently, we conducted research and analysis of the incident. And found that the incident was unrelated to a caste-based hate crime.
To verify the claims made by the users. We performed a relevant keyword search and found multiple media reports containing police sources. According to the media reports (1, 2, 3). A man set a 19-year-old woman on fire and injured her after pressuring her to withdraw her case against his father in Madhya Pradesh’s Khandwa district. The Police said, Arjun Balai (22), poured petrol on the woman and set her on fire. He was arrested and presented in court. The official said. The woman had alleged that Arjun was pressuring her to withdraw a case against his father, Mangilal Balai, as they were distant relatives and belonged to the same caste.
Therefore, it is evident from verified sources that the incident was unrelated to a caste-based hate crimes.
Intent
Propagandists are circulating sensitive information with casteist claims to set their narrative.
Conclusion
Claim– A Dalit woman was set on fire in Madhya Pradesh’s Khandwa district. Because she refused to withdraw a harassment case against the father of the accused.
Fact– The accused also belongs to the same community and is a distant relative of the victim
Related Article: Fact Check: Protestors during Bharat Bandh conspired to set a school bus on fire in Gopalganj? – D-Intent Data
