Wrestler Anshu Malik issues emotional clarification after becoming victim of fake objectionable video

Based on a video that isn’t even mine, people have been messaging filthy things, said Malik.

Anshu Malik, a star Indian wrestler and an Olympic medal hopeful, has been subjected to a vicious online attack after a fake and objectionable video featuring her morphed photo went viral on social media. The 23-year-old, who won a silver medal in the women’s 57kg category at the 2021 World Wrestling Championships in Oslo, Norway, posted a tearful video on her Instagram account on Tuesday, alleging that she was the target of a conspiracy to defame her and tarnish her achievements.

“Based on a video that isn’t even mine, people have been messaging filthy things and have passed dirty and disgusting comments on me and my family,” Malik said in the video. “Did they not even think once what mental trauma I and my family would be undergoing?

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A post shared by Anshu Malik (@anshumalik57___)

"What mental trauma have I and my family faced? Without knowing the truth, they declared me guilty in front of society. They made someone guilty who had nothing to do with this whole thing,” she added.

Malik said that she had worked hard to make the country proud and win medals at various international events, but some people were trying to ruin her reputation by spreading false and vulgar rumors about her. “People are abusing those medals and awards I have won until now. I accomplished those awards and medals with so much hard work and determination. I dreamed that I would make the country proud.

"I wanted to do just a little to make my country proud. My parents taught me that do something for the country and die. If you do something good people will remember you,” she said.

Malik also thanked her parents and her close ones for having faith in her and supporting her during this difficult time. “My mother and father left their jobs so that they could take care of me and so that I could fulfill my dreams. They have faith in me. I am lucky that they and those near me believe in me. They knew that this was a way to defame me,” she said.

The fake video, which is about 30 seconds long, uses Malik’s photo as a template and shows a different girl and boy in an intimate act. The couple shown in the video are reportedly wrestlers from Himachal Pradesh and Haryana, who are now married. The video is said to be about two years old.

After learning about the video, Malik’s father Dharamvir filed an FIR at the Sadar Thana in Jind, Haryana, on Monday. The Haryana Police arrested a person named Amit from Barwala in Hisar, for posting the vulgar video on social media platforms. The police also uploaded a confession video of Amit, who admitted that he was in the video but Malik had no involvement in it.

Malik is currently undergoing rehabilitation in Chennai after suffering an injury during the Asian Games trials. She is one of India’s medal prospects at the 2024 Paris Olympics.