A video going viral on social media (here, here, and here) shows a mob beating several naked youths. The post claims that members of the Chamar community were bathing in the Ganga for purification and were beaten naked by Manuvadi individuals in Uttar Pradesh. Let’s verify the claim through this article.
Claim: Video shows the Chamar community going to the Ganga for purification and being beaten naked by Manuvadi individuals in Uttar Pradesh.
Fact: The incident occurred on 10 September 2024, at Ahilya Ghat, Maheshwar, Madhya Pradesh, where some drunk youths were bathing naked. Locals pulled the youths out of the river and beat them. The Maheshwar police stated that no written complaint was filed, as the youths fled before the police arrived. The police also denied any caste or religious involvement. The video has no connection to Uttar Pradesh. Hence, the claim made in the post is Misleading.
A reverse image search of the keyframes from the viral video led us to a video on the Dhamnod Samachar YouTube channel, published on 12 September 2024. The description of the video stated, “Video of youths bathing naked in Narmada in Maheshwar went viral on social media, and youths and devotees beat them fiercely.”
Taking a clue from the description, a Google keyword search led us to the media reports (here). According to reports, Some youths were bathing naked in the Narmada River at Ahilya, Ghat Maheshwar, Madhya Pradesh. People nearby noticed and informed another group of youths. This group came to the ghat, pulled the naked youths out of the river, and beat them up. Some locals also called the police, but before the police arrived, the naked youths apologized and ran away.
We also contacted the Maheshwar police station for more information about the incident. They stated that some youths bathing naked at the ghat were drunk and causing a public nuisance, which led local people to beat them up and chase them away. However, no written complaint has been filed with the police regarding this incident. The police also denied any caste or religious angle in the incident.
To sum up, the incident of Youths beaten for bathing naked at Ahilya Ghat, MP is falsely shared as Dalits assaulted while bathing in the Ganga.
