Fact Check: Japan metro officials perform aarti, break coconut for new train? No, video is from Bengaluru
A video has been circulating online, claiming it shows officials in Japan performing aarti and breaking a coconut before the inauguration of a metro train.
By - Md Mahfooz Alam
Claim:The video from Japan shows officials respecting the Sanatan Dharma by performing aarti and breaking a coconut before launching a new Metro train.
Fact:The claim is false. The video is related to the driverless metro train trial drive on the Yellow Line in Bengaluru in 2024.
Hyderabad: A video has circulating on social media that shows people performing aarti and breaking a coconut in front of a train decorated with flowers, an ‘Om’ sign and a swastika. Users sharing the video claim that it is from Japan, where people are showing respect to Sanatan Dharma since the event in the video was presided over by uniformed men who seem to be Southeast Asian.
Sharing the video, a Facebook user wrote, “Japan is far ahead of India in technology and science... We should never forget our religion. But the real reason for this is that Japan still bows before Sanatan Dharma and does every work according to the Vedic Sanatan Hindu religion.” (Archive)
A similar claim was found on X.
Fact Check
NewsMeter found that the claim is false, as the video is of the Bengaluru metro from 2024.
A reverse image search of the video’s keyframes led us extended version of the footage published by a YouTube channel on March 9, 2024, titled, ‘BENGALORE YELLOW LINE DRIVERLESS METRO POOJA.’
We also noticed text flowing on the train’s screen stating, “Welcome to Bangalore Metro,” which further confirms that the video is not from Japan.
The people performing aarti have ‘CRRC’ written on the back of their shirts.
A keyword search led to the Deccan Herald report of February 14, 2024, reporting that the Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation Limited (BMRCL) said that the first-ever driverless train for Namma Metro had arrived at the Hebbagodi depot near Electronics City in southern Bengaluru.
The report also mentioned that the train manufactured by China’s state-owned CRRC Nanjing Puzhen Co Ltd will be used to conduct trial runs on the 19.15-km Yellow Line, which will connect RV Road with Bommasandra via Jayadeva Hospital, Silk Board Junction and Electronics City.
The Hindu, on February 14, 2024, reported on the same date that the prototype of the initial six-coach driverless train for Bengaluru metro’s Yellow Line was imported from China.
On March 9, 2024, Metro Rail News reported that the trial for the Bangalore Metro for the Yellow Line was conducted on March 7 in the same year. The Hindu reported on August 10, 2024, that PM Modi inaugurated the 19.15-km corridor linking RV Road to Bommasandra, ending Bengaluru’s long wait for the Yellow Line of Namma Metro August 10.
Therefore, we conclude that the claim is false as the video is from Bengaluru, not Japan.
