Fact Check: Viral ‘hate speech’ video is from stage play in Odisha

The 15-second clip shows a man in a kurta and topi (traditional Muslim attire), on a stage decorated with lights in the middle of a crowd, saying ‘we will convert all Hindus to Islam’ before being attacked by a man who climbs onto the stage.

An X user shared the video and wrote, “A peaceful was giving a speech against Hindus. A single Hindu man went on stage and gave him a GPL in front of the fringe mob. (sic)” (Archive)

NewsMeter found that the claim is misleading.

We performed a search using relevant keywords and found an article published by Odishatv.in titled, ‘Too real to handle: Jatra villains thrashed by audience for devilish acting in Odisha’s Sambalpur’ dated September 11, 2024.

According to the report, this incident happened in the Naxapali area in Sambalpur district in Odisha while Swarna Mahala Opera was performing a play called ‘Swami Pain Narkaku Jibi’.

Further, the report stated that the acting was 'so real and devilish' that the audience became very reactive.

The report stated that the audience began hurling bottles at the stage after seeing the performance and hearing the dialogues of the villains. Subsequently, they climbed onto the stage and assaulted the actors.

This report also featured an image with a close resemblance to a frame in the viral video.

We also found that the viral clip was featured in a news report by Kalinga TV on their YouTube channel. Published on September 11, 2024, the video was titled ‘Emotionally-charged audience threw water bottles to Jollywood artists’.

The report also showed the clip where the actor with the hate speech dialogue was assaulted by a member of the audience. We compared the keyframes of the video with the viral clip and found them to be the same. Here is a comparison.

NewsMeter spoke to the artist Nabha Ghosh, the stage artist who was attacked in the viral clip. A Hindu man, Nabha Ghosh, played a Muslim character in a drama centred around a land dispute between Muslims and Hindus, with the case currently in court. The land in question is allegedly owned by the Jagannatha Temple in Odisha. The Muslim character harasses the temple’s pujari and kidnaps the daughter.

Ghosh explained, “During one of the scenes, the character that I play makes inflammatory remarks, stating that he will serve non-vegetarian food to Hindus and convert them to Islam. These provocative statements caused a strong reaction from the audience, who began throwing bottles in outrage. At one point, a member of the audience rushed onto the stage and attacked me as I was playing the Muslim character.”

Hence, the claim that the video shows a Muslim delivering a hate speech in public is misleading. The footage is from a public performance and the crowd attacked the actors in the middle of the play