Monday, 30th October 2017

E- paper
Download our app: Download From Google Play Download From App Store

Aligarh toddler's murder: What happened, and what didn’t

A sea of (mis)information and sensationalism surrounds the brutal murder of a toddler in Aligarh

By Bhagyasri Chaudhury in Kolkata
  • Published 7.06.19, 3:31 PM
  • Updated 8.06.19, 12:53 PM
  • a min read
  •  
A hashtag using the victim's name is trending on social media with an ensuing deluge of over 17,000 tweets expressing horror and outrage in the last 24 hours
A hashtag using the victim's name is trending on social media with an ensuing deluge of over 17,000 tweets expressing horror and outrage in the last 24 hours (Shutterstock)

Three days after a two-and-a-half year old girl was abducted, her mutilated body was carried by stray dogs out of a dumping ground on Sunday in Aligarh, Uttar Pradesh.  Widespread condemnation and outrage sparked on social media via hashtags and tweets that included misinformation.

The child's body was found close to her house in Tappal town on the outskirts of Aligarh. The police have arrested two of the accused, Zahid and Aslam, who have confessed to the crime. They were her neighbours and lived about half a kilometre away. Initial investigations suggest that the motive was revenge, as the girl’s parents allegedly failed to repay a loan of Rs. 10,000.

The Aligarh Police said that they will probe the murder under the National Security Act (NSA) and transfer the case to a fast track court.

The brutality of the incident is shocking. However, social media and popular media reports are abuzz with reactions from celebrities and netizens alike who claim that the minor was raped, had her eyes gouged out, and was poured acid on- all of which are untrue.

Alt News, a popular fact-checking site, confirmed through their sources that the post-mortem made no mention of rape. Aligarh police clarified this via a tweet, after a social media user claimed that the victim was raped.

Contrary to the morbid details in popular media, Akash Kulhary, SSP Aligarh confirmed that the victim was not raped. He added that the post-mortem report mentions death by strangulation as the cause, and that claims about the victim’s eyes being gouged out, and acid being poured are false.

A communal air to this shocking event is billowing, as enraged social media users compare the minor's violent death to the horrific abduction, rape and murder of 8-year-old Asifa Bano in Kathua. There is a growing demand for stringent justice for the accused. The incident has sparked rage, but misinformation is being spread like wildfire on social media, with the potential to further exacerbate tension and mistrust during troubled times.

However, there are many who have not allowed communalism to overshadow the seriousness and brazen nature of the child's murder, and demand justice for the accused.

Tags
Trending

  1. 1. Malvinder Singh arrested in Rs 2,300-crore Religare fraud

  2. 2. A lowdown on the suspected carcinogen found in Ranitidine pills

  3. 3. Food test raises red flags at Ranchi

  4. 4. Passenger vehicle sales drop 23% in September

  5. 5. 9-year-old out to buy bread beaten, locked up

More from India
PMC Bank customers protest outside the Killa Court, where the accused of the bank scam were being produced, in Mumbai, Monday, October 14, 2019

PMC Bank depositor dies of heart attack after protest

India

In this file picture taken on Friday, October 4, 2019, Kashmiris shout slogans during a protest after Friday prayers against the abrogation of provisions under Article 370, on the outskirts of Srinagar, Kashmir.

Women activists including sister, daughter of Farooq Abdullah detained during protest

India

A woman talks to her relatives in Srinagar, Monday, October 14, 2019. Hours after mobile phone services on postpaid connections were restored in Kashmir on Monday, SMS services were stopped as a

Hours after mobiles restored, SMS services blocked in Kashmir

India

The police allege that the accused had links with Maoists and were working towards overthrowing the government

Bhima Koregaon case: Bombay HC refuses bail to 3 activists

India