Scripted Video of Burqa-Clad Woman Offering Prayer to Hindu Deity Shared as Real

Fact-check: A video claiming to show a burqa-clad woman offering prayers at a Durga Puja pandal is actually staged.

(Photo: The Quint)

A video is going viral online which claims that it is a CCTV footage that shows a Muslim woman removing her burqa to offer prayers to a Hindu goddess.

The clip also shows the priests and the onlookers trying to stop her from entering the pandal when she was wearing a burqa.

Some of the claims also state that this is a recent video from West Bengal.

An archive of the post can be found here.

(Source: X/Screenshot)

(Archives of similar claims can be found here and here.)

What's the truth?: This video is a scripted one and not a real incident.

How did we find out the truth?: We noticed that at 4:34 timestamp, a disclaimer pops up in the viral video.

• It clearly mentioned that this video is made for entertainment and educational purposes.

Disclaimer stating that this incident is not real.

(Source: X/Screenshot)

• We then performed a reverse image search of some of the keyframes of the viral video on Google which led us to a Facebook video shared on 10 October.

• This was shared by actor Sanjjanaa Galrani and was titled “This Was Unexpected..!”

• The caption also included a disclaimer with said, "Disclaimer: Thank you for watching! Please note that this page features scripted dramas, parodies, and awareness videos. These short films are created for entertainment and educational purposes only. All characters and situations depicted in the videos are fictional and intended to raise awareness, entertain, and educate."

The video had around 14 million views.

(Source: Facebook/Screenshot)

• We then checked Galrani's page and found several scripted videos.

• Another video shot at the same location can be seen here.

• A video shared 16 September during Ganesh festival can be seen here. This video follows the same script of a Muslim woman entering the pandal to pray.

Conclusion: A video claiming to show a burqa-clad woman offering prayers at a Durga Puja pandal is actually staged.

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