Soon after a news came light about the brutal assault and gang rape of two women including a 27-year-old Israeli tourist and a homestay owner near Karnataka’s Sanapur Lake in Gangavati, a dangerous hate campaign was launched by Hindutva accounts against Indian Muslims across social media platforms, particularly on X.
Far-right X accounts selectively highlighted the rape of the Israeli woman and immediately linked the crime with Israel-Palestinian conflict.
Many claimed Indian Muslims carried out the crime as an act of revenge against Israel for the cause of Palestinian “Muslim brethren.”
To prove their false claims, they provided an explanation prejudicially stating that Muslims around the world carry immense hate for Israel, suggesting they are the only ones who want to harm Israel or its citizens.
Many accounts copy-pasted the same captions across social media platforms, tagging Union home minister Amit Shah and demanding a CBI probe into the case. The caption was primarily written by X-handler, Mr Sinha, a propagandist Hindutva influencer, infamous for circulating and pushing misleading news.
The caption read, “Karnataka: An Israeli tourist and a woman from Odisha were rap*d, and three other male companions were badly assaulted. One of them is found dead in a canal. Since an Israeli national is involved, the involvement of pro-Palestinian elements can’t be denied. @HMOIndia should give this case to CBI so that Karnataka’s Congress gvt doesn’t try to cover up… Since an Israeli national is involved, the involvement of pro-Palestinian elements can’t be denied..@HMOIndia.”
Sinha’s fake claims instigated several people against the minority community, with some users expressing frustration and even demanding a nationwide crackdown on Indian Muslims.
His posts misled the masses to believe that Indian Muslims were conspiring to damage India’s good relations with Israel. The alarming campaign spread like wildfire, with hundreds comments under Sinha’s post suggesting for deportion or killing of Indian Muslims while amplifying false claim that Islam encourages Muslims to “rape and kill non-Muslims”.
Karnataka minister Shivaraj Tangadagi said on Sunday that the third accused in the tourist rape case in Koppal district had been arrested. He stated that three individuals were involved in the crime. While two were arrested on March 8, the third accused was apprehended on Sunday.
“Three people were involved in this horrific crime, which should never have happened. Two were arrested yesterday, and the third was caught today,” said Tangadagi, who is also the Koppal district in-charge minister.
The two arrested earlier have been identified as 22-year-old Mallesh alias Handi Malla and 21-year-old Chetan Sai, both residents of Gangavathi taluk in Koppal district. According to police, the third accused was arrested in Tamil Nadu, where he had fled after the crime.
The Israeli tourist and the old homestay owner were gang-raped by three men in Koppal, Karnataka, on Thursday night, March 6. The assault reportedly transpired while the victims were stargazing near a canal.
The incident took place around 10:30 pm near the Tungabhadra Left Bank Canal. The women were accompanied by three other travelers, including a man from the United States and two others from Maharashtra and Odisha.
The accused persons, who arrived on a motorcycle, initially asked for directions to a petrol station and then demanded Rs 100 from the Israeli woman. When the group refused, an argument ensued, leading to a violent confrontation.
Subsequently, the attackers pushed the three male travelers into the canal before targeting the women. After committing the crime, the perpetrators fled on their motorcycle.
