Fact Check: Physically disabled Muslim man harassed on road? No, viral video is scripted
A video has been circulating with the claim that it shows an elderly disabled Muslim man on a tricycle being harassed in public.
By Md Mahfooz Alam Published on 27 Feb 2025 4:34 PM IST
Claim: The video shows a biker harassing an elderly disabled Muslim man on the road.
Fact: The claim is false. The video is scripted.
Hyderabad: A video of a man in a helmet allegedly harassing a physically disabled Muslim man in a tricycle has gone viral. The footage captures the man kicking the tricycle, followed by him snatching the manās cap and driving away.
An X user shared the video with the caption: āA bike rider is beating an elder Muslim handicapped & breaking his Rickshaw by kicking it. (sic)ā (Archive)
Fact Check
NewsMeter found that the claim is false. The video is scripted.
Upon a reverse image search of the videoās keyframes, we found that it was posted multiple times by a Facebook account named Muklesur Ali between February 25 and February 26.
We also found a longer version of the video on the YouTube channel Muklesur Bhaijaan, published on January 24, 2025, titled āRandom Rider Challenged Me & He Crushed!ā
The video showed another biker stepping in to help the disabled man by confronting the harasser. It includes footage of the biker chasing the harasser until his bike ran out of fuel. Two individuals assist him in reaching a petrol pump, and at one point in between the chaos, the biker asks them to follow his YouTube channel, Muklesur Bhaijaan. The faces of both the harasser and the rescuer are not visible in the video.
In the extended video, we also found that the alleged harasserās bike is registered with a Jharkhand number. Upon checking the vehicle number on multiple websites, we discovered that it is registered under a Muslim name, Firoj Sekh, indicating that no communal angle is involved.
The About section of the channel, which has 1.87 million subscribers, states that it posts bike-riding vlogs and scripted videos.
Furthermore, after reviewing the channelās videos, we found the same elderly man featured in multiple videos (links here, here and here), confirming that the channel produces scripted content and that the man may not be physically handicapped. In these videos, the script revolves around Muklesur Ali, the channel owner, rescuing an elderly Muslim man, who is being harassed.
Below are screengrabs of the same bearded elderly man in different videos, including the viral one.
With these findings, we conclude that the viral clip showing the harassment of an elderly Muslim disabled man is scripted. The claim is false.
