Claim
A distressing video showing a man being brutally thrashed with a paddle while lying naked on the ground has resurfaced with a false claim that it shows Alexander Reid, the principal of DY Patil School in Talegaon, Maharashtra, being assaulted by the members of Hindu far-right group Bajrang Dal. The video is now being shared on WhatsApp with the caption, "Mr Alexander Reid, Principal of D.Y. Patil High School, Talegaon, Maharashtra, was stripped naked and beaten mercilessly by Bajrang Dal activists. His fault: During the School Assembly, he asked the students to recite the Our Father."
Fact
BOOM had debunked the same video in 2023 when it went viral with similar false claims. We had then found that the video was uploaded on multiple gore and pornographic websites in 2021, accompanied by a claim alleging that the person was attacked by members of the Mexican cartel for theft. Additionally, we came across a Reddit thread dated October 2021 corroborating similar information. However, we could not verify the video's location or time independently. In 2023, news outlets reported that a group of Bajrang Dal and Vishva Hindu Parishad activists, accompanied by parents, visited DY Patil School in Ambi, Pimpri Chinchwad on July 4, 2023. Their visit pertained to two concerns: the installation of CCTV cameras in the lobby of the girls' washroom, and allegations of a Christian prayer being recited at the school. Several videos capturing the incident where the principal, Alexander Coates Reid, was seen being chased and confronted on the campus regarding these matters went viral at that time. As the video in circulation predates July 2023, it can be confirmed that the footage is not connected to the assault that occurred on DY Patil School Principal Alexander Reid.