Video of woman injured in road accident falsely linked to Karnataka’s free bus ride scheme

By: Ankita Kulkarni
June 27 2023

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(TW: Description of injury)

Context

Karnataka’s newly launched ‘Shakti’ scheme, which offers free travel to women and transgender persons in non-premium government-run buses, has been the topic of much debate and discussion in the media recently. While the move—one of the first poll guarantees rolled out by the newly formed Congress government in the southern Indian state— has been hailed as pro-women by many, some have argued that it puts an extra burden on the state’s coffers and promotes ‘freebie culture.’ Meanwhile, social media has been abuzz with several videos showing hordes of women packing Karnataka buses tight.  

In the wake of such developments, a video is circulating on Twitter with a claim that a woman’s arm was chopped off while she was trying to get into a bus through a window to avail a free ride. The video shows a distressed woman, whose arm has been severed, surrounded by people next to a KSRTC(one of the road transport corporations in Karnataka) bus. A post sharing the video read: "In Hulinahalli, Karnataka, a woman's arm was cut off while she was climbing the bus from the window. The price of free bus travel is your arm #Karnataka #FreeBusRide #Congress." 

However, the video is incorrectly linked to the free bus ride scheme.

In Fact

Logically Facts found that the injured woman seen in the video lost her arm in a bus accident and not while trying to board the bus through a window. As the video began to go viral, KSRTC (Karnataka State Road Transport Corporation) clarified on its official Twitter account that the video showed the aftermath of an accident near Nanjangud taluk in Mysuru district that took place on June 18, 2023. The tweet said that a lorry collided with a bus, severely injuring two women passengers. According to the tweet, 31-year-old Shantha Kumari’s right arm was cut off while 50-year-old Rajamma suffered an acute injury in her right hand in the accident. The KSRTC added that the victims were taken to Mysuru’s Apollo Hospitals for treatment and an FIR (First Information Report) had been filed against the lorry driver at the Biligere police station.

The Biligere police confirmed to Logically Facts that the viral video was not related to the Shakti scheme. Sub-Inspector Karibasappa, Biligere police station, said, "The video is being shared with a false narrative. The woman lost her arm in an accident after a lorry collided with a KSRTC bus, and not because she was climbing in through the window. "

Logically Facts also accessed the FIR on the website of the Karnataka State Police. The FIR was registered by the Biligere police based on the complaint filed by Nagaraj Nayaka, husband of one of the injured women, Rajamma. The FIR noted that both the women passengers, Shantha Kumari and Rajamma, lost their arms due to an accident after the bus collided with a lorry. 

We also contacted the Mandya traffic police station — under whose jurisdiction Hullenahalli village falls. Social media posts claimed that the viral video was from this village. However, a police officer told us that no such incident had been reported from Hullenahalli or any other area under the jurisdiction of Mandya traffic police station.

The above-mentioned evidence makes it clear that the viral video has been shared with incorrect claims and falsely linked to the free bus travel scheme in Karnataka.

The Verdict

A video of a woman who lost her arm in a road accident has been falsely linked to the Shakti scheme that provides free travel for women in Karnataka. Therefore, we mark the claim false.