Cycle Girl Jyoti Rape, Murder by Ex-Armyman: Fact Check

Story:

Cycle girl Jyoti Paswan was raped and murdered by an ex-armyman in Darbhanga, Bihar

Jyoti’s gruelling journey from the outskirts of New Delhi to their village 1,200 km away with her jobless father on a cycle made headlines around the world recently and threw a spotlight on the plight of India’s unemployed migrant workers.

Other Versions

कल तक हम जिस #लड़की #ज्योति की तस्वीर कभी ना #हार मानने वाली लड़की के रूप में जानते थे
जिसने 1200 #किमी का #सफर अपने बीमार #बाप को बैठाकर #साईकिल से तय किया था। #आज उसी लड़की का #अर्जुन #मिश्रा नामक #हैवान ने #बलात्कार कर, उसका #गला काट दिया
गरीबी को मात देने वाली बेटी हैवानियत से हार गई !!

లాక్డౌన్ నేపథ్యంలో యాక్సిడెంట్కు గురైన తన తండ్రిని సైకిల్పై కూర్చోబెట్టుకొని 1200కు పైగా కిలోమీటర్లు ప్రయాణించి తమ స్వగ్రామానికి చేరుకున్న జ్యోతి పాశ్వాన్(15)పై హత్యాచారం జరిగింది.

Image about Cycle Girl Jyoti Rape, Murder by Ex-Armyman

Fact Check:

A picture message is viral on social media purporting to show ‘cycle girl’ Jyoti Paswan was raped and murdered by an ex-armyman in Bihar. One of the accompanying picture shows a girl lying dead on ground. No, the claims are not true – the girl in the picture is not the ‘cycle girl’ Jyoti Paswan – she is safe and fine.

About Rape & Murder of ‘Jyoti Paswan’

Jyoti Kumar Paswan is the cycle girl who got unexpected fame, support and the promise of a sporting career. The 15-year-old cycled about 1,200 kilometers to take her ailing father from Sikandarpur in Haryana to Darbhanga in Bihar during Coronavirus induced lockdown. Stories claiming an ex-army person raped and murdered her trended on social media in early July 2020. #JusticeForJyoti trended on Twitter and other social media networks along with the pictures. However, the girl lying dead is not the cycle girl Jyoti Paswan.

Image of Cycle Girl Jyoti Kumar Paswan — Cycle Girl Jyoti Kumar Paswan

The girl lying dead in the picture is another, 14-year-old Dalit girl from Bihar – with the same name Jyoti Paswan. On 1st July 2020, she was found dead in an orchard in Pataur village in Darbhanga, Bihar. Allegedly, she was brutally raped and murdered for stealing mangoes from the orchard. The girl’s father told police they found her body inside the orchard with ligature mark on her neck. The orchard owner Arjun Mishra is in fact an ex-serviceman who went absconding. Soon after the girl’s death, angry villagers thrashed Arjun’s wife inside the orchard.

Image of Justice for Jyoti Paswan posts on Twitter — Justice for Jyoti Paswan posts on Twitter

Pataur police outpost in charge Shubhas Chandra Mandal said there was a live wire near the girl’s body. Post-mortem report later ruled out rape and mentioned cause of death is electrocution. However, the girl’s father told local media the police is trying to change facts saying her daughter died of an electric shock. After the incident #JusticeForJyoti and #DalitLivesMatter also trended on social media, demanding justice for the minor girl.

ज्योति के पिता को सुनकर अगर आपका खून नही खौला तों समझ लो आपका खून पानी हों गया हैं,बहन ज्योति के न्याय के लिए आवाज बुलंद करें ताकि उसे न्याय मिल सके और बिहार की बहरी सरकार और गूँगे CM @NitishKumar की जुबान खुल सकें और दोषी बलात्कारी अर्जुन मिश्रा को सजा हों सके!#JusticeForJyoti pic.twitter.com/qhisGEUkVy
— Amar Jyoti (@Amar4Bihar) July 4, 2020

So, the victim girl is not ‘cycle girl’ – she is safe and fine. Another girl with the same name Jyoti Kumari died in Bihar, allegedly after rape and murder by an ex-armyman.