2015 Cow Vigilante Video From Haryana Revived With Misleading Claim

A four-year-old video showing a man tied to a pole and forced to say 'Jai Shri Ram' by cow vigilantes in Haryana, has been revived on social media as a recent incident.

The disturbing video shows a man with a noose around his neck tied to an electric pole. The man is slapped several times while being questioned about transporting cows and is also forced to say 'Jai Shri Ram'.

The religious identity of the man held captive is not clear though he agrees when asked if he will become a Hindu and whether he will eat pork meat, suggesting he is a Muslim.

The video is going viral on Twitter and Facebook with the caption that says, "A minor Muslim guy being assaulted by Hindu Mob forcing him to say aloud their slogan – Jai Shri Ram. They slap the boy and force him to convert to Hinduism. Will the Indian Minister ask for a report?"

Several Twitter and Facebook users in Pakistan have shared 49-second clip. The clip is being shared in the backdrop of another flash-point between the two countries after two teenage Hindu girls were allegedly abducted in Sindh and forced to convert to Islam and marry.

WARNING: The below videos contain abusive language and distressing visuals.

INDIA: A minor Muslim guy being assaulted by Hindu Mob forcing him to say aloud their slogan – Jai Shri Ram. They slap the boy and force him to convert to Hinduism. Will the Indian Minister ask for a report? Or is she too jittery? #ForcedConversion @SushmaSwaraj @fawadchaudhry pic.twitter.com/rCxMwpCgJx

— Danial Yousaf (@idanialusaf) March 26, 2019

Click here to view an archived version of the tweet.

FACT-CHECK

BOOM broke up the video into key frames and performed a reverse image search. We came across a 2015 article on the website reshareit.com which included the same video.

The incident appears to have taken place in Haryana in 2015 though few details are known. There is nothing in the video to suggest the man being beaten is a minor as claimed in the viral posts.

However, a longer version of the video was uploaded by Tehelka Media to its Facebook page on March 26, 2015. In this video, it is clear that the man was targeted for transporting cattle.