The verdict (FAKE)

The viral clip is taken from a scripted video and was shared with the false claim that it shows a real incident.

(Trigger warning: This story contains mentions of sexual abuse. Reader discretion is advised.)

What is the claim?

A video circulating on social media claims to show a Hindu ascetic caught assaulting a woman. In the viral clip, when confronted by the person filming, a man dressed in a saffron outfit explains that he was relieving the woman’s stomach pain while she appears to be in distress.

A user from X (formerly Twitter) shared the video and wrote in Hindi: “Saints have found a new way to cure diseases. A priest with a Sanghi mindset was caught promoting Hindutva in the name of saffron and God. I have Hindutva! » Archived versions of these publications are accessible here, hereAnd here.

However, this statement is false. The viral clip was actually taken from a scripted video and circulated with the false narrative that a Hindu ascetic was caught assaulting a woman.

How did we find the truth?

We did a reverse image search using keyframes from the viral video and found an extended version posted on a YouTube channel named Ashwani Pandey. THE original video (archive here) lasts 13 minutes and is clearly scripted. After 16 seconds, a disclaimer states that it was created for entertainment purposes only.

The video shows a man in saffron attire pretending to be a holy man and assaulting a woman who was visiting him to relieve her stomach pain. Two men, who appear on and off camera in the video, catch the man in the act, confront him and one of them even slaps him. At the end of the video, the man can be seen removing his saffron outfit, revealing a shirt and pants underneath, after which he is seen being dragged away to be reported to the police.

Additionally, we found that the viral clip matches the original video from 0:51 seconds to 2:19 minutes and was shared as a real incident.

We also reviewed the YouTube channel and found that it had posted several similar scripted videos with such disclaimers. The man and woman seen in the viral video have appeared in several other scripted videos, playing different roles. In one video (archive here), they depict a doctor and a student, in which the man is caught in the act and confronted, similar to the scenario in the viral video.

We have reached out to the creators of the video and this fact check will be updated if and when we receive a response.

Logically, the facts have previously verified facts several scripted videos circulated on social media as real incidents.

The verdict

The viral video was shared with a false claim that a Hindu ascetic was caught assaulting a woman. This is actually a scripted video created for entertainment purposes only.

(This report was first published on logicallyfacts.comand was re-released on ABP Live under a special arrangement. ABP Live changed the title and background image of the report when republishing.)