Fact Check: Viral video showing a Nepali man tonsured is an Indian by origin

Hyderabad: Nepal Prime Minister K.P. Sharma Oli released a statement that God Ram was from Nepal and not from India. Amidst this controversy, a video went viral from Varanasi which claimed that a Nepali national was tonsured and forced to chant anti-Nepal slogans and Jai Shri Ram.

Twitter post with the video read, "This happened in Varanasi, UP. Nepali man tonsured, forced to chant 'Jai Shri Ram' and anti-Nepal slogans. 'Jai Shri Ram' was also written on the man's scalp by the members of Hindutva outfit. (sic)"

It was also widely covered by the media as the police investigation is still going on.

Fact Check:

Varanasi police arrested six people in connection with the viral video and during investigation, it was found that the man found in the video was actually an Indian born in Varanasi, concluding that the whole video was orchestrated.

Varanasi police in their tweet said, "Investigations are still going on about a video shared on July 16, 2020 from a social media account, which depicted misbehaviour by some towards a man from a neighbouring country. We have arrested six men as of now and investigations revealed that the man seen in the video is an Indian born in Varanasi and his parents have government jobs."

Meanwhile, The Hindu has quoted senior superintendent of police Varanasi, Amit Pathak, stating that the man received Rs 1,000 for playing this part. The police said that he had a registered voter ID and Aadhar card.

It can be concluded that the man in the video is not a Nepali, but an Indian.