Were Muslim Students In Kerala Sent Back home For Celebrating Onam? No, Viral Claim Is False

The bogus claim that Muslim schoolgirls were reprimanded and sent home by the school for taking part in Onam celebrations is being spread along with a video showing Muslim schoolgirls being heckled as they walk home from a government school in Kasaragod, Kerala.

Kerala celebrates Onam, an annual harvest festival which features a variety of traditional activities. Onam began on August 30 and ended on September 8 in 2022. In Kerala, it is also observed as the state festival.

Claim:

A group of schoolgirls, many of whom are donning the hijab, are shown in the nine-second video being heckled with misogynistic remarks by persons who are not visible in the frame.

"Jihadis In Kasaragod, Kerala Kicked Out Girls Who Was Celebrating Onam Festival In Govt School By Saying Celebrating Onam Festival Is Haram," reads the title of the trending video. When translated, the description for the video reads, "onam programme stopped by residence."

However, neither "haram" nor "Onam" are mentioned in the viral video. "Tomorrow you are to be married, now who will come to marry, you have no shame and hesitance," a man is heard yelling in Malayalam.

The video can be seen in this tweet below:

On Facebook, the identical video along with the fake Malayalam claim is shared.

(The translated caption reads: "Should have been married tomorrow!! Women with no shame! Muslim children who came to celebrate Onam were sent away by the locals! Posters that Onam is Haram for Muslims.")

Fact Check:

We discovered that it is untrue that Muslim girls at Kerala's Government Higher Secondary School, Palikere, were expelled for participating in Onam festivities. Instead, school staff and government officials claim that the students were expelled for failing to wear their school uniforms to an Onam celebration.

We hear a man shouting misogynistic remarks like, "tomorrow you are to be married, now who will come to marry, you have no shame and hesitance," when we hear the viral video. However, the words "Onam" or "haram" cannot be heard in Malayalam anywhere in the video.

We conducted a keyword search with relevant terms such as 'Muslim female students, celebrating Onam, Kasaragod' and landed up the post of the District Collector of Kasaragod

The District Collector had also posted on Facebook on September 5, 2022, denying the claim that Muslim female students were sent back for celebrating Onam.

The post, when translated, reads: "The propaganda going on in the social media that a group of female students who had come to celebrate Onam in an institution in Kasaragod district were insulted is untrue. Strict action will be taken against those who spread fake news for hate propaganda."

Kasaragod Police also denied the viral claim calling it fake. The caption, when translated, reads: "The District Police Chief has come to the notice of the anti-socials spreading fake propaganda through social media with the intention of destroying the peaceful atmosphere and religious harmony in the district. Cyber patrolling is on the lookout for such people. The District Police Superintendent has instructed Cybercell to do and to take strict legal actions."

Evidently, the viral claim is false that Muslim girls were sent back home to celebrate Onam.

If you have any news that you believe needs to be fact-checked, please email us at factcheck@thelogicalindian.com or WhatsApp at 6364000343.

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