An old satirical newspaper clipping about a man not passing stool for 25 years is now being shared as authentic news - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
June 9, 2023
A newspaper clipping about a man who hasn’t been to the toilet for 25 years is being circulated on social media platforms. The news clip identifies the person as Deepak Goyal, who works for the same news organisation and even published the image of the person. Through this article let’s fact-check the claim made in the post.
Claim: Newspaper clipping about a man not passing stool for 25 years.
Fact: The viral clipping was first released by the local newspaper ‘Kashi Vaarta’ in Varanasi. This news article was originally published in 2017, specifically for entertainment purposes on the occasion of Holi, and it does not depict any real incident. Further, according to experts it is not possible to live without having a bowel movement for so many years.  Hence, the claim made in the post is FALSE.
There is no such disease called Luteo Cristo Diphallia:
The widely circulated newspaper clipping claims that a man did not pass stool for 25 years due to a condition called Luteo Cristo Diphallia. However,  internet search did not yield any results or information regarding such a disease.
Diphallia is a rare genetic condition that occurs when a male baby is born with a duplication of the penis. According to the Genetic and Rare Diseases Information Center (GARD), Diphallia or penile duplication is a rare congenital variant with an estimated frequency of 1 per 5 to 6 million live births. Further, Diphallia has nothing to do with digestive health (passage of stool), as mentioned in the viral clipping.
Moreover, according to experts, it is probably not possible to live without having bowel movements for so many days. Thus, the lack of supporting evidence suggests that the viral story may not be based facts.
The viral clip is a satirical piece:
Further search led us to a news report that debunked the viral clip. As per this report, this viral clip originated from a local news agency in Varanasi known as ‘Kashi Vaarta’. The editor of this news agency has provided clarification, stating that the viral clip was initially published in 2017, on Holi and explicitly mentioned that the news was not factual, but rather intended for entertainment purposes.
In addition, the report includes an interview with Jaya Prakash, the individual featured in the viral news clip, who is employed at ‘Kashi Vaarta’. During the interview, he clarified that he does not suffer from any such ailment and emphasised that his image was used solely for entertainment purposes.
To sum it up, an old satirical newspaper clipping that was originally published for entertainment purposes is now being shared as a genuine one.