Fact Check: Viral Video Shared with False Caste-Based Narrative; Actual Incident Linked to Theft Allegation During Kalash Yatra in Dhanbad

In a disturbing incident from Dadarpur village in Etawah district, two 'kathavachaks' (priest-narrators) were allegedly assaulted, their heads forcibly shaved, and were made to rub their noses in public as a form of humiliation. The incident reportedly took place on Saturday but came to light after a video of the episode went viral on social media.

The victims, identified as Mukut Mani Yadav and Sant Singh Yadav, had visited the village to recite the Bhagwat Purana, a major Hindu scripture that discusses cosmology, legends, culture, yoga, and music. According to sources cited by media outlets, the situation escalated when some villagers inquired about the caste of the narrators and found they belonged to the Yadav community.

Reports suggest that upon learning their caste, some villagers claimed that only Brahmins are allowed to recite the Bhagwat Purana. The duo was then allegedly attacked, had their heads shaved, and were made to publicly rub their noses as a sign of apology. The victims also alleged that they were robbed of their valuables and forced to pay a penalty of ₹25,000.

Etawah police have registered a case under relevant sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and said that efforts are underway to identify and arrest all those involved. So far, four people have been taken into custody. A senior police official stated, “We will take stern action against the accused.”

Meanwhile, a video is surfacing on the internet in which a group of women is being beaten by a lady with a bamboo stick. A social media user shared this video, linking it to a conflict between two groups in Dadarpur village.

You can find the screenshot below

You can find the screenshot of the claim below.

Fact Check:

The viral video is being shared with a false caste-based claim. In reality, the incident took place in Dhanbad, Jharkhand, where women were attacked during a Kalash Yatra over theft allegations, not due to community tensions.

When we searched for the incident using relevant keywords, we found many photos and videos. However, we couldn’t find this particular video among them.

During a reverse image search, we came across a video uploaded on a YouTube channel.

A YouTube channel named Global Update uploaded this video on 27th June 2025. In the headline, Global Update mentioned that a few thieves were caught snatching gold chains from participants during a Kalash Yatra.

This video looks very similar to the viral video, so we compared both.

We found that both videos show the same incident. Therefore, the viral video and the one uploaded by Global Update are from the same event.

While searching with the keywords, we also found that on 25th June 2025, Zee Bihar Jharkhand posted a video story on their social media platform.

In the video story, the presenter described the incident as taking place in Jharia, Dhanbad, during a spiritual Kalash Yatra. During the Yatra, a group of women was caught snatching gold chains from women participating in the procession.

We found that a digital news outlet named Joshi News published a brief article on their website.

In the article, Joshi News mentioned that during the Kalash Yatra, sharbat was being distributed by the committee. Taking advantage of the crowd, gold chains and mangalsutras of six women, including Usha Devi, Sucheta Narayan, Bindu Devi, Raj Muni Devi, and Shanti Devi, were snatched. The accused women tried to escape but were caught. The news report does not mention any caste angle in this case.

Hence, we found the claim is misleading. The incident shown in the video actually took place in Dhanbad, Jharkhand, and had no caste-based angle. Women were attacked during a Kalash Yatra over allegations of theft, not due to inter-community tensions. Sharing such videos with false narratives can create unnecessary social divisions and must be verified before being believed or circulated.