Before the fifth phase of the Lok Sabha elections on May 20, 2024, including Kaushambi in Uttar Pradesh, a video surfaced on social media purportedly showing women protesting and chanting slogans against UP Deputy Chief Minister Keshav Prasad Maurya. In the viral footage, Maurya, a BJP leader, is seen surrounded by individuals, including women, amidst chants of “Keshav Maurya chor hai (Keshav Maurya is a thief)” Maurya is observed attempting to calm the protesters down.
The Facebook post reads: कौशांबी में डिप्टी सीएम केशव प्रसाद मौर्य का भारी विरोध हर गली मोहल्ले और नुक्कड़ पर हो रहा है जनता ने इनका निकलना दुधर कर दिया है।विरोध को देखते हुए विनोद सोनकर को लेकर गेस्ट हाउस से तत्काल भाग खड़े हुए केशव प्रसाद मौर्य।. (English translation: In Kaushambi, there is strong opposition against Deputy CM Keshav Prasad Maurya, with protests occurring on every street and corner. The public has expressed their discontent, leading to a difficult situation for him. Observing the opposition, Maurya immediately left the guest house with Vinod Sonkar.)
The above post can be seen here. (Archive)
FACT CHECK
NewsMobile fact-checked the above claim, and found it to be misleading.
The NM team discovered a video uploaded by news channel TV9 Uttar Pradesh Uttarakhand on YouTube, dated January 23, 2022. This video exhibited comparable visuals to the viral clip, and its description indicated that UP Deputy CM Keshav Prasad Maurya encountered opposition from women in his Sirathu constituency during the 2022 Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections.
We also came across a report by Dainik Bhaskar on January 23, 2022, carrying the same visuals seen in the viral clip. It reported that after declaring his candidacy for the Sirathu Assembly seat (Kaushambi district), Maurya visited Ghulamipur village in his constituency for the first time. The report further mentioned that upon Maurya’s arrival in Ghulamipur to meet residents, some women closed their doors, while others raised slogans against him. Allegedly, Maurya gestured for the women to quieten down before being escorted away by his security personnel. Even after his departure, people continued chanting slogans like “Keshav Maurya chor hai”.
Dainik Bhaskar‘s report highlighted that Maurya was visiting the residence of District Panchayat member Poonam Maurya in Sirathu, whose husband, Rajeev Maurya, had disappeared under mysterious circumstances. Women at the location were protesting against police actions in the case, and upon the arrival of the Deputy CM, they initiated slogans against him.
Several other media outlets, including Navbharat Times, News18 Uttar Pradesh, and Prabhat Khabar, had also covered the incident in January 2022.
Furthermore, we found that Maurya held a rally in Sirathu on May 15, 2024, in support of BJP Lok Sabha candidate Vinod Sonkar. Here, we did not find any report on women chanting slogans against Maurya.
Thus, it is clear that the 2022 viral video has been erroneously linked to the ongoing 2024 Lok Sabha elections.
