A video of a young woman mercilessly beaten has been circulating on social media. It has been claimed that a Muslim girl was beaten by her father after he saw her with a Hindu boy. The video also shows another woman trying to intervene and save the girl amid a crowd of mute spectators.

Several other users have made the same claim while sharing the video. This clip is widespread on Facebook. Alt News also received requests to verify the video on its WhatsApp number (+91 7600011160) and mobile app.

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Fact-check

We noticed that the clip was shared by a user who tagged UP police and wrote that the incident is from Shamli. In response, Shamli police shared a statement issued by the Superintendent of Police. He explained, "After examining this video, we received information that an individual named Ahsan got married in Kairawa village under the jurisdiction of the Kairana police station area of Shamli district. The woman seen in the viral clip is his wife. One of her former lovers arrived at her in-laws' home with his friend. When the in-laws came to know about the woman's relationship before marriage, they informed the woman's natal family as well. Together with people from her natal home, the in-laws thrashed the woman and the two men. No complaint of any kind was filed in the case in the police station."

Dainik Bhaskar correspondent Sachin Gupta had shared two videos of the same incident on August 5. He shared another video in which two youths were being beaten up. The accompanying caption stated, "Two youths who came to meet one of their married ex-girlfriends in Shamli got a Taliban style punishment." And sharing the video which shows the woman beaten up, Sachin wrote, "Mohammed Ahsan's wife was having an affair with an old lover in Shamli, Uttar Pradesh. Look at what Ahsan did to her in response."

Alt News reached out to the Kairana police station and spoke to Premveer Rana. "This is false. Ever since the advent of social media, it is being used to circulate vitriol. The real matter is that both the parties belonged to the Muslim community. A woman named Shahzadi married a month ago. Her ex-boyfriend Aftab lived in the same village and visited her with one of his companions, so naturally, Shahzadi's in-laws objected. They informed her father that his daughter had invited her boyfriend. After that, the woman's brother, father and mother, and four or five others came to the spot and beat her mercilessly. This happened on July 28. Three people identified as Amjad, Mubarik and Naushad have been arrested and sent to jail in this case. Out of these, two are the brothers-in-law of the woman and the third is a neighbour," he said.

Therefore, the video in question was falsely given a communal angle and circulated on social media. According to local police, the actual context surrounds a woman and her ex-lover who were beaten up by her family members. The police took action and arrested a few people in the matter.