Fact Check: Viral video of skull cap-wearing man misbehaving with man in saffron scarf is scripted

Hyderabad: A video showing a man wearing a skull cap and misbehaving with a man carrying a saffron scarf is viral on social media. The text, along with the video, suggests that it shows a Muslim man having an argument with a Hindu man in a Muslim area.

In the video, the two men can be seen in a heated argument, and the purported Hindu man says, “Is it a sin to stand in a Muslim area? Are Hindus not allowed in Muslim areas?”

NewsMeter received the video on its WhatsApp tipline number with the Telugu text, which reads, “They wear a cap and roam around in your area - you do nothing, but if you wear saffron and go to their area, they start pushing you. This is called secular. (translated)”

An X premium user also shared the video on their timeline with the caption, “They can stay in your area wearing a cap and roam around, and you will not do anything. But if you go to their area wearing a saffron towel, they will start pushing you. This is what is called secular. (translated from Hindi)”

Fact Check

NewsMeter found that the video is scripted as part of a ‘social experiment.’

We carefully observed the viral clip and found that at the end of the video, the saffron scarf-clad man says, “Let us finish. It is getting overcrowded.” He also shows the crowd gathered around them to the camera that has been shooting their staged altercation.

We also noticed the logo of ‘PM 2 Vlogs’ on the video. Taking this cue, we looked for it on YouTube and found that the channel. It has the extended version of the video published on July 26, 2023. The video’s description reads, “I am doing a social experiment and helping homeless people.”

The viral clip appears in the video at 12:25 minutes.

At the end of the video on YouTube, they introduce themselves as ‘Pervez Bhai’ and ‘Azeem Khan’. In the extended version, they state that they did the social experiment to promote social harmony and end the ‘ill feelings’ Hindus and Muslims have against each other. They also clarify to the crowd gathered around them that they are doing a social experiment on whether people in the Muslim area protect a Hindu man when harassed by a fellow Muslim.

We skimmed through the channel and found several videos ‘promoting social harmony.’ We also found a video of where the role was reversed, with Pervez wearing the skull cap and Azeem carrying a saffron scarf and misbehaving with him in a Hindu area.

Hence, we conclude that a scripted video has been clipped and is being shared with missing context to bring communal disharmony.