A video circulating online shows a man brutally assaulting a naked man in public, falsely claiming to depict a religion-based hate crime against a Hindu Naga Sadhu. However, this is an old video unrelated to any religious hate crime. According to Dehradun police, the individual alleged to be a Naga Sadhu was an impostor involved in a molestation case while under the influence of alcohol. The incident occurred in 2018.
Sharing the video on X (Formerly Twitter) propagandist account @ajaychauhan41 wrote. “According to the number plate of the vehicle seen in the video, the video seems to be from Uttarakhand. Where an irreligious Hindu is brutally beating a Naga Sadhu”.
Several other users and Influencers have also shared the video and made similar claims. Their posts can be seen here, @MishraBRIJESH13, @tinkuchaubey50
The truth about the video showing a man brutally assaulting a naked man, Fact Check
As soon as the posts containing the sensitive video and claims came to our notice. Subsequently, we conducted research and analysis of the incident and found that the video was old and unrelated to religious hate crimes.
To verify the claims made by the users. We performed a relevant keyword search, which led us to media reports and the police statement regarding the incident. According to the reports (1, 2) and the police statement, the alleged Naga Sadhu was an impersonator involved in a molestation case while intoxicated. The incident dates back to 2018.
Dehradun police said, “A video of a person being beaten up by some people claiming him to be a Naga Sadhu is going viral on social media. It should be known in this regard that the said person is an impersonator against whom legal action has been taken on the complaint of his involvement in an incident of molestation in a drunken state.” Hence, the incident was old and unrelated to hate crimes.
सोशल मीडिया पर एक व्यक्ति जिसे नागा साधु बताते हुए कुछ लोगों द्वारा पीटने का एक वीडियो वाइरल किया जा रहा है।
— Dehradun Police Uttarakhand (@DehradunPolice) August 30, 2018
उक्त संबंध में ज्ञात हो कि उक्त व्यक्ति एक बहुरूपिया है, जिसके विरुद्ध नशे की हालत में छेड़छाड़ की एक घटना में संलिप्त होने की शिकायत पर वैधानिक कार्यवाही की गयी है। pic.twitter.com/GB9uoDlsMs
Therefore, it is evident from verified sources that the video was old and unrelated to religious hate crimes.
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— D-Intent Data (@dintentdata) November 16, 2024
ANALYSIS: Misleading
FACT: A video showing a man mercilessly beating a naked individual in public has been circulated online,falsely portraying it as a religion-based hate crime against a Hindu Naga Sadhu. This is an old video unrelated to any religious hate crime. (1/2) pic.twitter.com/hcmb1IpZuf
Intent
Social media users and Influencers are circulating old videos with misleading claims to set their narrative based on religion.
Conclusion
Claim– The video depicts a Hindu Naga Sadhu being assaulted in a religious hate crime.
Fact – The video is old and unrelated to religious hate crimes. The naked man was an impersonator and involved a molestation case.
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