Fact Check: Viral video of woman dancing at Kolkata protest is actor-dancer, not doctor
Video features a woman in a saree dancing on the street while the crowd around her cheers her on.
By Sibahathulla Sakib Published on 20 Sep 2024 4:31 PM GMT
Claim: The video shows a doctor dancing at a protest against the rape-murder of a doctor in Kolkata.
Fact: The claim is false. The woman in the video is Mokksha Senguta, an actor and dancer.
Hyderabad: Amid the ongoing protests against the rape and murder of a doctor at the RG Kar Medical College in Kolkata, a video has gone viral claiming to show a doctor dancing on the street to register her protest.
The 2:18-minute-long video features a woman in a saree dancing on the street while the crowd around her cheers her on.
A Facebook user shared the video captioned, āWoman doctor protesting ghost of RG Kar in Kolkata. A lady doctor becomes Bhadrakali.ā
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Fact Check
NewsMeter found that the claim is false. The woman in the video is Mokksha Senguta, an actor and dancer.
A search using relevant keywords led us to a report by India Today titled, āMeet actor Mokksha whose street dance at Kolkata protest has gone viralā. The article was published on September 16, 2024.
The report stated: āA street performance organised by an NGO took place in Santoshpur, South Kolkata, on August 31, where Mokksha (Sengupta) joined to express her solidarity. Her street dance, a creative form of protest, has since gone viral across various social media platforms.ā
The report added that āMokksha Sengupta is a Bengali actor known for her work in South Indian cinema. Hailing from Barrackpore in North 24 Parganas, she initially pursued a career as a teacher before transitioning to acting. She began her career in Bengali films before moving to South India, where she now works in Malayalam, Tamil, and Telugu cinema.ā
We also found a Facebook account that belonged to Mokksha. A post on the profile shared the India Today article on September 16 with the caption, āThanks to India Today; itās our old culture of Bengal to represent our art on streets whenever required to raise our voice as Protestors for the genuine cause. Thanks to NGO MRITTIKA, Pampa Banerjee Chirantan Banerjee for being the voice of the performance. #justiceforRGKar #justiceforabhaya#
The Facebook bio also contained a link to Mokkshaās Instagram account. The Instagram bio stated that Mokksha is a classical dancer. One of the posts contained a screenshot of the aforementioned Facebook post.
Hence, the claim that the woman dancing in the viral video is a doctor protesting in Kolkata is false. The woman is Mokksha Sengupta, a professional actor and classical dancer.
