No, This Video Doesn’t Show a Hindu Priest Being Thrashed for Molesting a Minor

The priest was assaulted by locals after a dispute over loud devotional music.

A video of a Hindu priest being assaulted is being shared with the false claim that he was assaulted for molesting a minor.

(Source: X/Altered by The Quint)

A video showing a man pull and assault a priest inside a Hindu temple is being shared on social media.

The claim: The video is being shared with text that claims, "A hindu priest was molesting young girl in hindu temples than father of a minor girl came and start beating him in temple (sic)."

An archived version of this post can be seen here.

(Source: X/Screenshot)

(Archived versions of more posts sharing this claim can be seen here and here.)

Is it true?: No, the claim is false.

• The video shows a man assaulting a Hindu priest over a dispute regarding noise playing over a loudspeaker and has nothing to do with sexual assault.

How did we find out the truth?: A reverse image search on the video led us to a news report by Dainik Bhaskar, which also carried the viral video.

• The headline noted that a priest was assaulted inside a temple in Rajasthan's Jaipur due to a dispute over devotional music being played loudly.

The report noted that the dispute was over loud music.

(Source: Dainik Bhaskar/Screenshot)

• The report added that a young man had initially asked the priest, identified as Ramakrishna, to lower the volume of the music being played, which led to an argument.

• The verbal altercation then turned into a physical one, when the man "kicked and punched the priest, pinning him to the ground, " Bhaskar said, noting that the incident took place at the Shiva temple in Jaipur's Ganesh Nagar.

• Ramakrishna then filed a complaint at the Kardhani police station, after which the accused, Harish and Devansh were arrested.

• Another report by India Today also shared similar details while carrying screenshots of the viral video, adding that the 63-year-old priest was assaulted on 25 September.

• On their Facebook page, The Times of India also shared this viral video with the same details about the priest being assaulted over loud devotional music.

Conclusion: A video of a priest being assaulted is being shared with the false claim that he was beaten after he sexually assaulted a minor.

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