This Video Doesn’t Show Nepal’s Minister Pleading in Front of Protesters

The user, who had originally shared the video, said that the man seen in the video was not the actual owner.

A video of a man with folded hands standing in front of a crowd, while a house can be seen burning in the background, is going viral with users linking it to the recent protests in Nepal.

What's the claim?: An X (formerly Twitter) premium user identified the man as Prithvi Subba Gurung, Nepal's Minister for Communication, Information and Technology and said that he was pleading protesters not to burn his private residence.

The above post had gained around two million views on the platform. Archives of similar such claims could be found here, here, and here.

Is the claim true?: No. While there are reports of Gurung's private residence being torched, the viral video does not show him. This makes the claim misleading.

How did we find that out?: We noticed a watermark of a TikTok that said "@roshanbhandari7721' at the left side of the keyframe.

• On searching for the username and using the help of a VPN, we were able to access the account on the social media platform.

Who uploaded the video?: Next, when we went through the handle, we found similar visuals published on 10 September. It was uploaded with a caption that loosely translated to, "Now it's the turn of the youth."

• In a follow-up video, the user said that the man seen in the video was the neighbour of the house and not the actual owner. He was pleading the protesters not to burn his neighbour's house.

• The TikTok account did not specifically mention the identify of the person seen in the video.

Comparing visuals: Team WebQoof compared the person seen in the viral clip with a picture of Gurung available on Wikimedia Commons.

• On seeing the comparison, one can clearly figure out that it was not Gurung who was seen in the viral video.

• Both the people have distinct facial features.

Gurung's house torched in Nepal: As per a recent report, protesters had set fire to the minister's private residence located in Lalitpur during the nationwide protests.

• It mentioned that the protesters had initially pelted stones at the minister's house before the situation escalated, according to the police.

Conclusion: While we could not independently verify the identity of the person in the viral clip, it is clear that Gurung was not seen in the it.

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