DigitEye India Fact Checkers
A video of Congress leader Rahul Gandhi is being shared on social media with a claim that he told media that the Kolkata RG Kar Medical College and Hospital incident was not important and aimed at distractions.
Here’s the video:
-Journalist : SC is hearing Kolkata rape case
-Rahul Gandhi : Don’t distract me, I’m here for a more important workThis guy was first to reach Hathras claiming he’s fighting for women and here he’s calling the #KolkataHorror case an unimportant topic. pic.twitter.com/TB1uNFtStb
— Mr Sinha (@MrSinha_) August 20, 2024
When asked about the Supreme Court asking doctors protesting the rape and murder case at Kolkata’s RG Kar Medical College and Hospital to end their strike, Rahul Gandhi is shown saying in the video that the reporter was trying to distract him. The claim along with the video says:
“Journalist : SC is hearing Kolkata rape case
-Rahul Gandhi : Don’t distract me, I’m here for a more important work.
This guy was first to reach Hathras claiming he’s fighting for women and here he’s calling the #KolkataHorror case an unimportant topic.”
The post has gathered 1.3 million views on X and gone viral.
FACT-CHECK
When we checked for the original video, we found that the video was related to Rahul Gandhi’s visit to Rae Bareli on August 20, 2024. He was in his constituency to meet the family of a Dalit youth who was killed.
When reporters asked him to comment on the Kolkata’s RG Kar Medical College rape case, he responded by saying, “I have come here for this incident. I have given my statement and presented my views on the Kolkata incident. I don’t want to distract from this issue here, so I have come here to raise this issue.”
पीड़ित परिवार की रक्षा के लिए मैं हमेशा साथ खड़ा हूं – न्याय का हक़ मिलने तक! pic.twitter.com/9T6Wv6MLdG
— Rahul Gandhi (@RahulGandhi) August 20, 2024
VIDEO | “I have come here (Raebareli) to support the family of the victim (Dalit youth). I will not let you distract from this matter. I will speak on Kolkata doctor rape and murder case later,” says Congress MP Rahul Gandhi (@RahulGandhi) as he reaches Uttar Pradesh’s… pic.twitter.com/geidPmZJoV
— Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) August 20, 2024
When another reporter asked him about the Supreme Court asking the protesting doctors to end their strike, Rahul Gandhi reiterated saying, “Brother, I have come here for this (Dalit youth issue) issue. I know that you don’t want this matter to be raised, you want to distract me. This is because you don’t want to talk about Dalits. Am I right? You don’t want to talk about Dalits and I have come here to protect Dalits and talk about their issues, so I will not allow distractions.”
Rahul Gandhi was referring to his response to the Kolkata case, when he took to X calling the incident ‘shocking’ and ‘gruesome’. He said that there was an “atmosphere of insecurity among the doctors’ community and women.”
कोलकाता में जूनियर डॉक्टर के साथ हुई रेप और मर्डर की वीभत्स घटना से पूरा देश स्तब्ध है। उसके साथ हुए क्रूर और अमानवीय कृत्य की परत दर परत जिस तरह खुल कर सामने आ रही है, उससे डॉक्टर्स कम्युनिटी और महिलाओं के बीच असुरक्षा का माहौल है।
पीड़िता को न्याय दिलाने की जगह आरोपियों को…
— Rahul Gandhi (@RahulGandhi) August 14, 2024
Calling for all parties and sections of society to come together to “take concrete steps on the continuously increasing incidents against women,” Rahul Gandhi had extended support to the deceased’s family of Kolkata doctor. “They should get justice at all costs and the culprits should be given such a punishment that it is presented as an example in the society,” he said.
Hence, the Rae Bareli video clip was altered to show Rahul Gandhi as refusing to comment on Kolkata case.
Claim: Rahul Gandhi calling the Kolkata rape and murder case ‘an unimportant’ topic.
Conclusion: Misleading. Rahul Gandhi’s statement is tweaked. He said that he had come to speak about the Dalit youth incident in Rae Bareli but media is trying to divert the attention.
Rating: Misleading — 
