No, Video Of People Calling For Beheading Of Yati Narsinghanand Is Not Recent; Viral Video Is From 2021

Yati Narsinghanand, the head of the Dasna Devi temple in Uttar Pradesh, was arrested for his speech openly calling for violence against Muslims. The Hindu religious leader was also booked for making "objectionable" remarks about women and sent to 14 days in judicial custody.

In this context, a video showing a group of men announcing that they would behead the Hindu priest, Yati Narsinghanand, has gone viral.

Claim:

The video shows a group of men talking to the camera held by a person filming them. One of the people gestures to a poster with an image of Yati Narsinghanand along with the text "#ArrestNarsinghanand".

The person says the following in the viral video. "You might have heard about this Narsinghanand, this dog, who disrespected our Lord. We have come to Jaipur's Ghat Gate doorway to put up this poster, to warn all that those who act like this will suffer this punishment".

The person gestures to a man wearing a turban who says, "Those who disrespect the Prophet Mohammed, we will behead them." The first person then says that people have taken to the streets to protest against CAA-NRC. Still, people must participate in rallies to protest against Yati Narsinghanand and "to uphold the honour of Prophet Mohammed". The people gather around and say, "Disrespect our Prophet, and there is only punishment. Beheading."

The viral video has been shared with the following claim:

"At Ghatgate, Jaipur, Swami Narsinganad was openly threatened to be beheaded by some anti-social elements. How long will these people keep advocating Talibani decrees? Make them even a little famous, and they get caught up in Islamic terrorism and cause harm to human life. Action must be taken against them. Hindu brothers are requested to share this video as much as possible."

The same video, along with similar claims, is also viral across social media.

The video is viral across Facebook and Twitter.

Gajendra Singh Shekhawat, the Union Minister of Jal Shakti, also tweeted the video with the following claim:

"Gehlot Ji (Rajasthan CM), are you a son of the soil? In the capital Jaipur, beheading threats are being given openly by putting up posters, and the police are nowhere to be found. This is not only a threat to Swami Narasimhanand; it is to spread panic among the general public. This is happening because you are allowing it to happen. The law and order of Rajasthan have been handed over to the terrorists!"

Fact Check:

The Logical Indian fact-check team verified the claim and found it misleading. The viral video is from 2021 and is being shared out of context.

We used InVid's Keyframe Analysis tool to break down the video into keyframes. We then conducted a reverse image search on the keyframes, leading us to this report by ABP Live, published on July 19, 2022. In this report, Shekhawat's tweet is attached with the advisory that the video dates back to 2021. The ABP Live report also noted that the Jaipur Police appealed to people not to share the video on social media.

We also came across this report by TV 9 Hindi published on July 19, 2022. The report quoted DCP Crime-Jaipur, Parish Deshmukh, saying that the video is from April 2021. Eight people were arrested in the incident, with the DCP stating that some people wanted to create unrest by making this video viral in the wrong context.

Other media outlets such as Zee News and Patrika also noted the response by the Jaipur Police to the viral video.

TV9 Hindi also attached a tweet by Lokesh Sharma, an official on Special Duty to the Rajasthan CM. Sharma replied to Shekhawat's tweet.

He stated in his tweet, "This video is from April 2021 and action was also taken by the police at that time. You (Gajendra Shekhawat) have done the same in the past, and even today, your intention behind sharing this old video should be known."

Taking this as a cue, we searched Twitter for more information regarding this incident. We came across this tweet by the official Twitter handle of Jaipur Police, published on July 19, 2022.

The translated tweet reads, "An attempt has been made by some anti-social elements to recently circulate a video from April 2021 shot in Jaipur's Ghat Gate Bazaar. The action was taken against the persons seen in the video as per the rules. This video spreads religious hatred in society. Whoever forwards this video through WhatsApp, Facebook or otherwise will also be held responsible for the criminal act. Legal action will be taken against them."

We also found an official statement of DCP North Paris Deshmukh on the viral video. He says "A video filmed in Ghat Gate, Jaipur is going viral and is communally charged. The persons seen in the video have been apprehended and charged.

Since the video is going viral, whoever is using this video to spread false,

inflammatory information will also face action. Regarding this, an operation has been undertaken at Ramganj Police Station. We appeal to all not to forward such videos and make them viral."

On April 9, 2021, Delhi Police summoned Yati Narsinghanand to appear for questioning, accused of hurting religious sentiments with his remarks on the Prophet during a press conference in Delhi last week.

The Delhi Police had registered an FIR against the priest after taking suo moto cognisance of his speech at a press conference organised by Akhil Bharatiya Sant Parishad (Ghaziabad). This India Today report states that the UP police arrested one man in Uttar Pradesh's Meerut after he offered to pay Rs 51 lakh for beheading the priest.

Conclusion:

In our Fact Check, the video's incident was filmed in April 2021. The Jaipur Police and several media reports have asserted that the video was filmed last year during the row that erupted following the inflammatory comments made by Yati Narasimhanand.

The controversy had led to outrage by sections of the Muslim community, and the Delhi Police had registered an FIR against the Hindu religious leader after taking suo moto cognisance of his speech. The Jaipur Police has stated that action has been taken against the persons seen in the video. Thus, we can conclude that the video was circulated in a misleading context and was filmed last year.

If you have any news that you believe needs to be fact-checked, please email us at factcheck@thelogicalindian.com or WhatsApp at 6364000343.

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