Protesters in Nepal ousted the prime minister and set parliament ablaze over the federal government’s ban on social media and corruption allegations — however in neighbouring India, the violence is being misrepresented on-line as one thing else solely: a non secular rebellion.
Whereas some declare that the demonstrations are a requirement for a “Hindu state”, others say the other — that they’re an assault on the religion.
Fuelling the narrative are allegations from Indian broadcasters and politicians that rioters vandalised Nepal’s Pashupatinath temple, a revered Hindu website within the Himalayan nation.
Screenshot of a false X submit, with a crimson X added by AFP
“Some rioters, hiding inside the crowd of protesters, tried to vandalise the temple, and it was solely after this incident that the military was deployed,” an anchor for the right-wing Zee Information tv channel mentioned in a report that includes a clip of individuals climbing onto the temple’s gate and violently shaking it.
Jivesh Mishra, a member of India’s ruling Bharatiya Janata Celebration (BJP) in jap Bihar state, which shares a border with Nepal, advised reporters on Wednesday: “An assault on a temple is an assault on (the) Hindu religion.”
Proper-wing influencers additionally amplified the declare to their hundreds of followers.
However AFP fact-checkers traced the footage to a non secular ritual known as Naxal Bhagwati Jatra, filmed weeks earlier than the violence.
KN Swami, a famend monk within the temple, additionally posted clips on social media to refute claims it had been attacked (archived hyperlink).
“I’m at the moment contained in the temple, and every little thing is peaceable right here,” he confirmed to AFP on Wednesday.
Nepal’s demonstrations started Monday within the capital Kathmandu, pushed by offended younger protesters who dubbed themselves the “Gen Z” motion.
The protests escalated into an outpouring of rage nationwide, with authorities buildings set ablaze after a lethal crackdown. KP Sharma Oli stop as prime minister shortly after demonstrators set hearth to his home.
‘Instigated and funded’
Lots of of social media posts have claimed with out proof that the protests have been “instigated and funded” by “anti-Hindu forces and Islamists” to assault spiritual websites.
Nepal, a secular republic since 2008, has witnessed frequent demonstrations by teams demanding a return to Hindu statehood.
Outdated visuals of the rallies resurfaced on-line this week, misleadingly offered as the present protests.
Footage of protesters calling for a Hindu monarchy up to now was falsely shared as proof that Nepal’s “Gen Z” motion is extra about faith than corruption.
One other picture circulated with a declare that demonstrators wished India’s firebrand Hindu monk Yogi Adityanath as Nepal’s new prime minister.
Screenshot of a Fb submit, with a crimson X added by AFP
Different posts seen hundreds of occasions on X, Instagram, Threads and Fb have in contrast the unrest in Nepal with protests in Bangladesh, a Muslim-majority nation the place a student-led revolt ousted long-time chief Sheikh Hasina final 12 months.
In the meantime, hashtags in favour of a “Hindu Nation” — a preferred catchphrase of the BJP — have trended throughout social media platforms in India.
The posts warn the nation to “put together for comparable youth uprisings”.
“The urge to interrupt information quick in India is increased, and that led to misinformation from their aspect,” mentioned Prashant Das, a senior analysis fellow at South Asian College (archived hyperlink).
“What’s rife now are speculations and rumours, that are pure responses of individuals in such conditions.”
