NEW DELHI: Protesters in Nepal have ousted the prime minister and set parliament ablaze over the government’s social media ban and corruption allegations. However, in India, this violence is being completely misrepresented online as a religious uprising.
Some claim the demonstrations are a demand for a “Hindu state,” while others say the opposite—that they are an attack on the Hindu faith. This narrative is being fueled by Indian broadcasters and politicians who allege that rioters vandalized Nepal’s Pashupatinath temple, a revered Hindu site.
An anchor for the right-wing channel Zee News reported, “Some rioters, hiding within the crowd of protesters, attempted to vandalize the temple, and it was only after this incident that the army was deployed.” The report included a video clip of people climbing onto the temple’s gate and shaking it violently.
Jivesh Mishra, a member of India’s ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in Bihar, which borders Nepal, told reporters on Wednesday: “An attack on a temple is an attack on the Hindu faith.” Right-wing influencers also amplified this claim to their thousands of followers.
However, fact-checkers have traced the footage to a religious ritual called Naxal Bhagwati Jatra, which was filmed weeks before the protests. K. N. Swami, a renowned monk at the temple, also posted clips on social media to refute the claims. “I am currently inside the temple, and everything is peaceful here,” he stated.
The demonstrations in Nepal, now known as the “Gen Z” movement, began in the capital Kathmandu and were led by angry young protesters. The protests escalated nationwide, with government buildings set ablaze after a deadly crackdown. Sharma Oli resigned as prime minister shortly after demonstrators set his house on fire.
‘Instigated and Funded’
Hundreds of social media posts have claimed without evidence that the protests were “instigated and funded” by “anti-Hindu forces and Islamists” to attack religious sites. Nepal, a secular republic since 2008, has seen frequent demonstrations by groups demanding a return to a Hindu state. Old visuals of these past rallies have resurfaced online this week, being falsely presented as the current protests.
Footage of past protesters calling for a Hindu monarchy was misleadingly shared as evidence that Nepal’s “Gen Z” movement is about religion rather than corruption. Another image circulated with the false claim that demonstrators wanted India’s firebrand Hindu monk Yogi Adityanath as Nepal’s prime minister.
‘Hindu Nation’
Hashtags in favor of a “Hindu Nation”—a popular catchphrase of the BJP—have been trending across social media platforms in India. The posts warn the country to “prepare for similar youth uprisings.”
Prashant Das, a research fellow at South Asian University, said, “The urge to break news fast in India is higher, and that led to misinformation from their side.” He added, “What is rife now are speculations and rumors, which are natural responses of people in such situations.”
