Fact Check: Manohar Lal Dhakad’s obscene act—Lubna Qureshi’s videos go viral? No, find the facts here
Two videos have been circulating online, claiming to show Lubna Qureshi, the person who was allegedly filmed in a lewd act with Dhakad on the highway.
By Md Mahfooz Alam
Claim:The videos show Lubna Qureshi, the person who was filmed in a compromising situation with Manohar Lal Dhakad on the highway.
Fact:The claim is false. Both videos are old and unrelated. The woman has not been identified yet.
Hyderabad: On May 13, CCTV cameras on the Delhi-Mumbai Expressway allegedly captured Manohar Lal Dhakad, a local political figure from Mandsaur, Madhya Pradesh, engaging in an obscene act with a woman outside a car. The footage went viral on social media, leading to public outrage and legal action.
Dhakad was arrested under Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita sections 296 (public obscenity), 285 (obstructing public way), and 3(5). BJP has outrightly denied that Dhakad was even a primary member of the party.
In this context, two videos have been circulating on social media, both claiming to feature Lubna Qureshi, who was allegedly filmed in a compromising situation with Dhakad on the highway. One video shows a woman crying and accusing the police of misconduct, while the other shows a woman in a hijab arguing with a man holding a microphone.
Video 1
An X user shared the video of the woman accusing police of misconduct with the caption, “This is the same Lubna Qureshi who was with Manoharlal Dhakad on the highway, now she’s crying. She should have thought about this before doing a road show!” (Translated from Hindi) (Archive)
Fact Check
NewsMeter found that the claim is false, as the video is from 2024.
A reverse image search of the keyframes led us to an extended version of the video, published by Rajasthan Tak on August 23, 2024. The channel identified the woman as ‘Bikaner Ki Sherni.’
Taking this cue, we ran a keyword search and came across a report by Zee Rajasthan published on August 22, 2024. According to the report, Monika Rajpurohit, popularly known as ‘Bikaner Ki Sherni’, a 21-year-old social media influencer from Vallabh Garden in Bikaner, Rajasthan, landed in controversy after a video of her allegedly consuming opium (which she claimed was kala gud, or black jaggery) went viral.
The Bikaner police raided her residence and recovered 200 grams of doda post, a narcotic substance. Monika was arrested along with a minor girl, nicknamed ‘Bikaner Ki Girl.’ Following her release on bail, Monika shared a tearful video on social media, accusing the police of misconduct, alleging that officers beat her to extract phone passwords, misrepresented the substance in the video, and even made indecent propositions, including allegedly telling her to ‘be ours for one night.’ This video is currently viral, falsely claiming that it depicts Lubna Qureshi.
Video 2
Another X user shared the video of Hijab-wearing woman with the caption, “‘My body, my choice. If I do sex work, what’s it to you?’ #Lubna_Qureshi, the heroine of the highway film. If I do not expose the veiled Lubna Qureshi, then my name is not Manohar Lal Dhakad.” (Archive)
Fact Check
NewsMeter found that this claim is false, as the video is from Pakistan and has been online since at least 2023.
A reverse image search of the keyframes led us to a video over six minutes long, published by a Pakistani YouTube channel on August 17, 2023. The viral clip, showing a woman in a hijab arguing with a man, appears around the 4:05 mark. According to the channel, amid reports of public prostitution on the streets of Lahore, the woman avoided responding to a journalist’s question, instead getting into a scuffle and partially disrobing.
NewsMeter could not independently verify the video. However, we confirm that it does not show a woman filmed in a compromising situation with Dhakad, as it has been online since 2023.
We also searched for reports about the woman involved in the highway incident with Dhakad but found no information identifying her. According to a Times of India report dated May 26, authorities have yet to ascertain her identity. During interrogation, Dhakad did not disclose any details about the woman.
Hence, we conclude that neither video features the accused woman. The name ‘Lubna Qureshi’ appears to be a fabricated identity deliberately created by social media accounts spreading misleading propaganda.
