Since the news of Kathua Gang-rape has come out, there have been many lies on WhatsApp and other mediums  to fuel conspiracy theories which seek to somehow justify the rape-murder or give it a different angle.

Based on the charge-sheet filed by the SIT, there are two sets of Whatsapp rumors that spread to give the case a different angle.

Here are the two sets

WhatsApp Claim 1) Victim’s parents were murdered few years back on some property dispute.

Fact: Victim’s real parents are alive and well. They had given her to her adoptive parents (biological father’s brother-in-law and sister) after the latter had lost three sons and a daughter in a road accident.

WhatsApp Claim 2) There is huge property in her name.

Fact: There is no evidence to suggest there was any property in her name. Also, as mentioned above, the victim’s biological parents are alive.

WhatsApp Claim 3) She was staying with her maternal aunt (Masi).

Fact: She was adopted by her biological father’s brother-in-law, ergo she was staying with her maternal uncle (Mama and Mami).

WhatsApp Claim 4) Girl might have become victim of property hunger or something else needs independent probe.

Fact:As said earlier, the girl was not an orphan, hence there is no question of her having access to large amount of property

WhatsApp Claim 5) Sanji Ram main accused has been requesting people not to sell their land to Muslims due to demographic change of Jammu.

Fact: Sanji Ram had a problem with Bakerwals, had harangued individual for selling land to them

WhatsApp Claim 6) Other police SPOs have been instrumental in catching lots of bovine smugglers and we’re irking in the eye of local notorious Bakerwal smuggler.

Fact: Sanji Ram and his men hatched conspiracy to drive away Bakerwal community

WhatsApp Claim 7) Police started investigation but team was changed immediately and SHO suspended.

Fact: Police team initially carrying out investigation was found guilty of tampering of evidence

WhatsApp Claim 8) New team from Kashmir have come and started investigation. SIT in charge himself is rape accused and close to Hurriyat. They found best man to change the investigation and picked up all young boys of Rasana area.

Fact: Rape and murder accusation was against one of the team members who was acquitted in 2014.

WhatsApp Claim 9) Situation of panic was created and locals of Rasana moved out of their villages and took shelter in nearby town govt school. This is what they wanted.. how to drive out Dogras from Jammu.

Fact: Bakerwal community was forced to bury their daughter outside Rasana village

WhatsApp 10) Third team of investigation was created under crime branch and they just built up on the already politically motivated investigation carried out by Kashmir based SIT.

Fact: Case transferred to Crime Branch after four personnel of the first team were accused of trying to cover-up investigations

Other claims on Whatsapp:

11. Lal Singh being a health minister was instrumental in bringing AIIMS like institute to Jammu and land identified has been encroached by duggars.

12. Lal Singh took action to vacate all forest land from encroachment.

13. Duggars protested and met Mehbooba Mufti.

14. Mufti held meeting and directed police not to provide any help to forest department and let Duggars encroach Govt land.

15. Political narrative prepared with all media houses.

16. Mufti met Rajnath and social media picked up.

17. Genuine demands of Duggars died down and CBI inquiry will expose Mufti and her nefarious design so complete world would know the truth.

18. Center will take time and meanwhile Jammu is lost like we lost Kashmir.

19. Common man will be in fear and run towards Punjab.

There is also another set of WhatsApp claims spread on  social media :

Claim 1: First post-mortem report mentions only murder and not the rape of the minor

Fact: There was only one post-mortem report.

Claim 2: It is impossible to hold someone captive and rape for 8 days in a temple which is always crowded and is situated in the middle of the street.

Fact: Victim was held in temple, which was in a secluded spot

Claim 3: The girl’s body had mud deposits which did not belong to the area which suggests that she was murdered somewhere else and her body was thrown in the temple premises.

Fact: She was dumped in the jungle not the temple. Mud stains didn’t match area where body was found. Mud stain discrepancy helped nail erroneous investigation.

Claim 4: When villagers raised concern over Rohingyas being settled in the area, Mufti govt got rattled

Fact: Mufti has stated that Rohingyas reside in state

Claim 5: Mufti sends officer Irfan Wani to create a new case, who was previously accused of raping a girl and murdering her brother in police custody.

Claim 6: After Irfan Wani got involved, new report was created and ‘rape’ was inserted without any forensic evidence and locals were tortured in the name of investigation.

Fact: Irfan Wani didn’t head probe, he was acquitted of rape and torture charges.

Claim 7: To protect the real culprits, innocents were framed including the officials from Jammu Police.

Fact: Charge-sheet mentions in detail how police personnel were involved

Final Claim: Sanji Ram’s son Vishal was in Meerut giving exams, couldn’t have been in Kathua to rape victim