On March 24, Facebook user Haresh Adhikari posted a video of a person licking his hand and rubbing it over a handrail in a subway train. “See this video and forward this as much as possible. If you stay silent today then it will harm us. Because, in six months, it would be of no use to move forward. Turn your fingers and share this forward now,” reads the accompanying message. The message urges people to take action against people who wishfully spread infection in light of the global coronavirus outbreak.

[Translated from: “इस विडियो को देखें और इसे जितना हो सके उतना फॉरवर्ड करें …. अगर आप यू आज चुप रहते हैं तो हमें नुकसान होगा … क्योंकि 6 महीने के बाद इसे आगे बढ़ाने का कोई फायदा नहीं होगा … उँगलियाँ घुमाएँ और इसे आगे बढ़ाएँ अभी.”]

इस विडियो को देखें और इसे जितना हो सके उतना फॉरवर्ड करें …. अगर आप यू आज चुप रहते हैं तो हमें नुकसान होगा … क्योंकि 6 महीने के बाद इसे आगे बढ़ाने का कोई फायदा नहीं होगा … उँगलियाँ घुमाएँ और इसे आगे बढ़ाएँ अभी

Posted by Haresh Adhikari on Tuesday, 17 March 2020

Many users on Facebook and Twitter posted the video with the same message in Hindi.

Alt News had also received a request on its official WhatsApp number to fact-check if the clip is from India.

Video form Belgium

A Google search revealed that the video is from Belgium. The man was reportedly inebriated and was travelling in the Brussels subway. Brussels Intercommunal Transport Company, the capital’s public transport provider, informed that he was arrested by the police and their security services. The subway train was later taken off service to be disinfected.

Source: UK’s Daily Mail

The incident had come to light after at least two fellow commuters captured the act on video and posted online, warning other commuters to be careful. Posted below is a video of the same incident from a different angle. It was also reported by Belgian’s daily newspaper The Brussels Times on March 10.

A video of a passenger carelessly rubbing his saliva-ridden hand on a handrail in a subway in Belgium is circulating on the Indian social ecosystem with an appeal to take action against people who recklessly put others in danger.

Note: The number of positive cases of the novel coronavirus in India has exceeded 500. This has caused the government to impose a complete restriction on movement apart from essential services. Globally, more than 4 lakh confirmed cases and close to 19,000 deaths have been reported. There is a growing sense of panic among citizens, causing them to fall for a variety of online misinformation – misleading images and videos rousing fear or medical misinformation promoting pseudoscience and invalid treatments. While your intentions may be pure, misinformation, spread especially during a global pandemic, can take lives. We request our readers to practice caution and not forward unverified messages on WhatsApp and other social media platforms.

Donate to Alt News!
Independent journalism that speaks truth to power and is free of corporate and political control is possible only when people start contributing towards the same. Please consider donating towards this endeavour to fight fake news and misinformation.

Donate Now

About the Author

Jignesh is a writer and researcher at Alt News. He has a knack for visual investigation with a major interest in fact-checking videos and images. He has completed his Masters in Journalism from Gujarat University.