Scripted video of Muslim couple aiding Hindu priest experiencing seizures shared as real

By: Annet Preethi Futado
May 19 2023

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Context
A 40-second video of a Muslim couple assisting a Hindu temple priest has gained significant traction on various social media platforms. The viral video features CCTV footage of an individual purported to be a priest, carrying a baby while walking along a road. Unexpectedly, the person drops the baby, lies down, and appears to be experiencing an epileptic seizure. Shortly after, a Muslim couple passing by on a motorbike stop to help the man. The visuals are accompanied by a Tamil voiceover that conveys the profound message that saving a single life is tantamount to saving all of humanity. The video concludes with a Sanskrit song. The video has become viral, accompanied by Hindi captions that translate to: "The priest was crossing the road with his child and suddenly fell ill. This Muslim couple supported him and his child and took care of the child till he recovered. Long live love, long live humanity." A single Twitter post featuring the video garnered over 239.8k views. However, the widely shared video was not an authentic incident but a scripted act.

In Fact
The widely shared viral video is a shorter version of a video scripted and produced by 3RD EYE, a YouTube channel focused on creating public awareness videos. Uploaded in May 2022, the original four-minute-long video was titled "SALUTE TO THIS COUPLE 🙏👏💖 || This is Heart Touching || Social Awareness Video By 3rd Eye ||." It features a disclaimer at the end that reads “reel-life footage", highlighting its purpose of educating the public by "making them understand how real-life situations will be". It also adds that the characters seen in the video are intended for entertainment and educational purposes.

The channel mentioned in the video's description box, "Thank you for watching! Please be aware that this Channel features scripted dramas and parodies to Aware People in Differnet Situations. This Channel Brings Social Awareness Videos. These short films are for entertainment purposes only!" (sic). The same video was also posted on the "Ideas Factory" Facebook page, which belongs to 3RD EYE. Logically Facts has contacted 3RD EYE for a comment. This story will be updated if and when we receive a response.

Despite the scripted nature of the video, it was widely shared on various platforms as a genuine depiction of a real-life scenario. Logically Facts has previously debunked similar scripted claims and videos, including instances like an older man marrying his daughter-in-law following his son's demise and a video falsely shared as a father beating a groom over dowry demands.

While many users appreciated the video for spreading a secular message, some users tried to give it an anti-Muslim spin. One social media user wrote "This society needs people like this. Not the poor Muslims who pelt stones at the procession of Hindus." Another social media user mocked the woman giving mouth-to-mouth to the 'priest', criticizing her level of education and poking fun at what they called her lack of medical awareness.

The Verdict
A video that depicts a scripted scenario of a Muslim couple assisting a Hindu priest and a child on the road following an epileptic seizure has been widely shared, accompanied by captions that falsely present it as a genuine incident. Therefore, we have marked this claim as false.