Fact Check: Muslim man beaten by Sikh Nihangs for performing ablution at Golden Temple? No, here are the facts
A video has been circulating online, claiming it shows Sikhs assaulting the Muslim man who had recently performed ablution in the holy water of Amritsar’s Golden Temple.
By - Md Mahfooz Alam
Claim:The video shows Sikhs beating the Muslim man who had recently performed ablution in the holy water of the Amritsar’s Golden Temple.
Fact:The claim is false. The assault video is from a separate 2025 incident in Ahmedgarh, Malerkotla, related to derogatory remarks against Guru Gobind Singh. The man in the viral video is Suresh Rishi Jindal, while the man who performed ablution is Subhan Ranrreez.
Hyderabad: Recently, a video of a Muslim man purportedly performing ablution (wuzu), using the holy sarovar (pond) water at Amritsar’s Harmandir Sahib or Golden Temple, has created a row.
In that backdrop, a video of Sikh Nihangs entering a shop and slapping its owner, seen pleading with folded hands, has gone viral.
Those sharing the video claim it shows Sikhs assaulting the same Muslim man who had ‘polluted’ the holy water of the Golden Temple.
An X user shared the video and wrote, “Some Nihangs arrived at the shop of the Muslim who had polluted the sacred sarovar of Amritsar’s Golden Temple by rinsing his feet in it and who displayed the sign of Tawhid, meaning ‘There is no god but Allah, the One and Only Supreme Being.’ He apologised, and the Nihang people forgave him.” (Translated from Hindi) (Archive)
Fact Check
NewsMeter found that the claim is false. The video shows Nihangs beating a different man named Suresh Rishi Jindal after he allegedly made a derogatory comment against the Sikh community.
Identifying the man in viral video
We first wanted to identify the man who was assaulted in the viral video. A reverse image search of the video’s keyframes led us to the footage posted by Paramjeet Singh Akali on Facebook on December 26, 2025.
The post identified the man as Rishi Jindal, who had allegedly passed objectionable remarks about Sri Guru Gobind Singh Ji Maharaj. In response, members of the Sikh community confronted him in Ahmedgarh.
Finding news sources that reported the incident
Taking this cue, we conducted a keyword search and found an ABP news report on the incident published on December 27, 2025.
As per the report, in Ahmedgarh of the Malerkotla region, tensions rose after an insulting comment about Sri Guru Gobind Singh Ji was posted on Facebook by a local man named Suresh Rishi Jindal, sparking outrage among the Sikh community.
The report also mentioned that during the confrontation in the shop, Damdami Taksal leader Giani Tejbir Singh Khalsa slapped Jindal three to four times and demanded an immediate apology. Jindal acknowledged his mistake and apologised verbally and also issued a written apology on the spot.
We also found another video of a confrontation inside the shop, shot from a different angle, posted by a local media outlet, Encounter News, on December 27, 2025.
The post stated Jindal allegedly made an objectionable social media post about Sri Guru Gobind Singh Ji, triggering strong resentment among the Sikh community.
Identifying the man who performed ‘ablution’ at the Golden Temple
According to The Times of India report of January 18, the man who rinsed his mouth in the sacred sarovar was identified as Subhan Ranrreez. He is a social media influencer from Delhi.
We also found the Instagram account of Subhan, which has over 51,000 followers. On January 16, he posted an apology video to the Sikh community for rising in the holy water of the Golden Temple.
A comparison of both men showed that Subhan and the person in the viral video being assaulted are different persons.
Therefore, we conclude that the viral video does not show Nihangs confronting Subhan Ranrreez, who had performed ablution in the holy water of the Golden Temple. The claim is false.
