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The people’s newsroom

Fact checkViral video

Viral video of Rahul Gandhi blaming women for rape is edited and false

In the full Pune speech of 22 August, Gandhi attributed the remarks to Mohan Bhagwat and Manohar Lal Khattar and criticised them. The viral clip cuts the attribution.

From the editorial deskPublished

The claim

A video shows Rahul Gandhi saying "80 percent of rapes happen because of women", that women should be kept locked in a cage, and that rape happens in "India" but not in "Bharat".

Claim by: Social media users
Seen on: Social media, first seen 22 August 2026

Verdict: False

  1. True
  2. Mostly true
  3. Misleading
  4. False

What we found

The video is false. It is edited from Rahul Gandhi’s speech at the Chhatron Ki Goonj event in Pune on 22 August 2026. In the full speech, Gandhi attributes the remarks to RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat and former Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar, then describes them as a mindset he opposes. The viral clip removes the part where he names them. BOOM rated the clip false on 26 August, four days after the speech, and PTI’s report from the event matches its account.

The Pune speech and the edited clip

  1. 22 Aug 2026Gandhi speaks at Chhatron Ki Goonj, AISSMS College Ground, Pune
  2. After 22 Aug 2026Edited clip circulates on social media
  3. 26 Aug 2026BOOM rates the clip false

The evidence

What the clip claims

BOOM reported that social media users shared a video saying it showed Gandhi stating that “80 percent of rapes happen because of women”. Posts also said he called for women to be kept in a cage and said such crimes happen in “India” but not in “Bharat”.

Source:BOOM, 26 August 2026

The full speech names who said it

BOOM traced the clip to the full speech on Gandhi’s official YouTube channel, at about 1:10:48. There, Gandhi attributes the “India” and “Bharat” line to Mohan Bhagwat and the 80% line to Manohar Lal Khattar. He then describes the attitude behind them: “What is this mindset? That a girl has a place: she should be locked inside a cage, she should be controlled”.

Source:BOOM, 26 August 2026

Contemporary reports match BOOM’s account

PTI’s report on the day said Gandhi “referred to an old statement by RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat” and to a comment attributed to Khattar. It quoted him: “So this is a mindset, and this fight is against this mindset.” He told the audience: “You belong to nobody, except yourself.” The Week reported that the event, the fourth edition of his student outreach programme, was held at AISSMS College Ground and focused on women.

Sources:PTI via ThePrint, 22 August 2026The Week, 22 August 2026

How the clip was cut

According to BOOM, the edit drops the passage in which Gandhi names Bhagwat and Khattar and frames their words as views he is criticising. Without that passage, the quoted lines appear to be his own.

Source:BOOM, 26 August 2026

Why this claim spread

The speech was covered by national outlets on the day. PTI reported that Gandhi used it to criticise the Manusmriti and urged girl students to challenge patriarchy, and The Week reported a packed venue. The desk has no sourced data on how widely the edited clip was shared or who first posted it.

LokVox does not reproduce or link to the clip. Readers can see BOOM’s full analysis at the link above.

Sources:PTI via ThePrint, 22 August 2026The Week, 22 August 2026

The documents