Bodies clarifies on misleading viral photo
Source: Chronicle News Service
Imphal, May 04 2024:
Senapati District Women Association (SDWA) and Senapati District Students' Association (SDSA) on Saturday stated that viral photo of three girls, alleged to have raped a boy and another photo of a shirtless boy with red marks on his face alleged to be the victim, are false and misleading.
Separate releases issued by the information & publicity wing of the SDWA and SDSA clarified that the information shared in the post as inaccurate and not based on facts.
They alleged that the viral photo of the three girls were related to a missing case of three minor girls who went absconding from home and were later apprehended after a hectic search while loitering around with friends on April 17, 2024.After being handed over to their respective guardians, two of the girls absconded from home again on April 24 and were reported missing with ongoing efforts being made to locate them, they added.
The photo of the shirtless boy with red marks on his face, alleged to be the victim of rape, is not a victim, but rather someone who assisted the girls in absconding from the guardians and the police, they claimed.
The releases further stated that the issue is termed as sensitive case as the girls are still minors and alleging them to sexual offense is a serious crime under POCSO Act, 2012.As such, anyone found spreading such false allegation and misinformation will be dealt with stringently under the law, they added.
They further alleged that the hunt is on to trace the source of the viral post and cautioned the general public not to entertain such fake news and rumours and also to refrain from further sharing or forwarding them to other social media platforms.
Verifying the accuracy of information before dissemination is crucial to prevent the propagation of false narratives and protect the integrity and well-being of all individuals involved, they added.