No, video doesn't show assault on Indian man for 'converting to Christianity'

(Trigger Warning: This story contains distressing visuals and mentions of violence. Reader discretion is advised.)

What's the claim?

A 45-second video depicting four to five men beating another man with sticks, while a crowd watches, has circulated online with claims that it shows 'Hindus attacking someone for converting to Christianity.'

On X (formerly Twitter), the video was shared with captions such as: "Is leaving Hinduism and converting to another religion a crime in this country? This man was brutally beaten by mobs just because he left Hinduism and converted to Christianity. #brutalindian." Archived posts can be found here, here, here, and here.

Screenshots of the viral X posts. (Source: X/Modified by Logically Facts)

However, this video actually originates from Sangareddy district in Telangana and shows a man being beaten over an alleged extramarital affair, not a religious conversion.

What we found

A reverse image search revealed that the same video was shared on X (archived here) in July 2022. The user captioned it: "#Horrible A young man received a Talibani punishment, beaten mercilessly while the crowd clapped. A Dalit youth was publicly thrashed and abused by alleged upper-caste individuals in Sangareddy, Telangana." The account also claimed that the man was dragged out, beaten while the village watched, and later taken to Area Hospital Zaheerabad after falling unconscious.

Further investigation revealed a media report from Mooknayak dated July 6, 2022, which included a screenshot of the viral video with the headline: "Telangana: Video of Dalit youth being beaten up goes viral, case registered (translated from Hindi)."

The report detailed that B. Naresh, a Dalit youth from Chilmamidi, Telangana, was allegedly involved in an affair with a woman from another community. Despite warnings from villagers, the affair continued, and Naresh was caught in a compromising situation. The woman's husband, relatives, and other villagers later attacked Naresh, who was filmed, and the footage was shared.

Screenshot of the Mooknayak report from July 2022 with a screenshot from the viral video. (Source: Mooknayak)

In addition, Telangana Today reported in July 2022 that Naresh was brutally attacked with sticks by a group accusing him of an extramarital affair with a woman from their family. After falling unconscious, villagers took Naresh to Area Hospital Zaheerabad. Following a complaint by his parents, the Jharasangam Police registered a case against 11 people, and DSP Zaheerabad Raghu led the investigation.

What did the police say?

Logically Facts contacted T. Naresh, Station House Officer (SHO) of Jharsangham Police Station, who confirmed that the viral video pertains solely to a case of an extramarital affair in 2022 in Telangana and is not related to 'Christian conversion'. He stated, "A case was filed, a charge sheet was prepared at the Jharasangham Police Station, and those who assaulted the victim were arrested."

Further details from the police official revealed that the victim was allegedly found with the wife of a local man, leading to a Panchayati (village meeting). The situation escalated with verbal exchanges, resulting in the victim being beaten. Since the victim is a Dalit, a case under the SC/ST Atrocities Act was also filed, he said.

The verdict

The video from Telangana's Sangareddy district, depicting a man being beaten in July 2022 over an alleged extramarital affair, has been misrepresented as an attack on someone for converting to Christianity. Legal action was taken in 2022, and a case was registered.