A video of a person fallen on the roadside, unable to get up as a two-wheeler has trapped one of their legs is widely circulating online. Two men, claimed to be journalists, can be seen taking a video of the person instead of helping them. On August 9, Union Youth Affairs and Sports Minister Kiren Rijiju shared the video on his official Facebook page with the caption, “The death of the soul of journalism.”
पत्रकारिता की आत्मा की हत्या😪😡
Posted by Kiren Rijiju on Sunday, 9 August 2020
The video has also been shared by several social media users. The clip below has 6,000 likes and over 3,000 retweets. It was shared by Twitter user @MdBabul38258561.
सड़क पर तड़प रही लड़की को न उठाकर पत्रकार अपना वीडियो बनाने में लगा है😡😡 pic.twitter.com/9b4T2ytoot
— Md.Babul (@MdBabul38258561) August 4, 2020
Another Twitter user @007AliSohrab brought in a Muslim angle to the incident by tweeting with the hashtag #BakraLivesMatter. The clip is massively viral on Facebook with the text, “सड़क पर तड़प रही लड़की को न उठाकर पत्रकार अपना वीडियो बनाने में लगा है.”
Earlier viral in Nepal with similar claims
Alt News found that the video was earlier shared by Nepali pages and handles. Nepal-based news outlet Nepal Khabar had shared the clip on August 2.
आफ्नो काम आफ्नो प्रोफेसन भन्दा ठूलो कुरा त मानवता होला नि हैन र? मान्छे बाँच्ने नबाँच्ने अवस्था मा छ। उसलाई सहयोग को खाँचो छ, यत्ति कुरा त नजान्ने लाई समेत थाहा होला नि हैन?? हामी कस्तो पत्रकारिता गर्दै छौं? के सबै कुरा TRP, भ्युज, शेयर र लाइक मात्र हो र??
कैले काई मानव भएर नी सोच्ने कि??#भिडियो : सामाजिक_सञ्जाल
Posted by नेपाल खबर Nepal Khabar on Sunday, 2 August 2020
A Facebook page ‘Wake up Nepal’ had shared it on August 3.
स्याबास!!!क्यामेरा बोक्ने ‘तपाईं’ ज्यु,
तपाइँले यसै गर्नुपर्छ।घाइते शरीरको प्रत्येक पाटपुर्जा क्यामेरामा निकाल्नुपर्छ। रगत खेर जाला,एकएक थोपा क्यामेराले खिच्नुहोस।घाइते चिच्याइरहेको छ।चिच्याहट खेर जाला,क्यामेरामा तुरुन्त रेकर्ड गर्नोस।घुमिघुमि खिच्नुस,कोण मिलाई-मिलाई खिच्नुस। स्याबास!!क्यामेरा बोक्ने तपाई ज्यु।भिडियो:- सामाजिक सन्जाल
Posted by Wake Up Nepal on Monday, 3 August 2020
Both the pages have also highlighted the callousness of journalists.
Staged video
Alt News contacted Deepak Adhikari, editor of Nepal-based fact-checking outlet South Asia Check, who confirmed that people in the video can be heard conversing in Nepali. Adhikari also spoke with SSP Kuber Kadayat, Nepal (Central) Police Spokesperson. “He said that the clip represents a video shooting in Anamnagar area of Kathmandu. Someone took the video of the shooting from a house adjacent to the road,” Adhikari quoted the police officer.
If one notices carefully, a cameraperson can be seen on the right of the fallen scooter in the first few seconds of the video. He gestures the two actors to cross the road. There are several other hints which suggest that the video is staged. The victim does not seem to be in a shape bad enough to not be able to get up. None of the passers-by come to their aid.
A staged video from Nepal is, therefore, circulating in India as insensitive journalists trying to record an accident on camera instead of helping the person who has fallen from his bike. It is noteworthy that Nepal Khabar and other Nepal-based users have also shared the clip as a genuine video when it has been performed by actors.
