An old scripted video of a man adulterating watermelons resurfaces with a false communal angle
A video going viral on social media (here, here, and here) claims to show a Hindu man caught adulterating watermelons with artificial chemicals. The post urges people to “save Muslims’ lives during Ramadan” and warns that a mistake while buying Iftaari could be risky. Let’s verify the claim made in the post through this article.
Claim: Video shows a Hindu man caught adulterating watermelons with artificial chemicals during Ramadan.
Fact: The viral video does not show a real incident and has no communal angle. It is a scripted video shared on a Facebook page called Social Message on 29 April 2024, which includes a disclaimer stating that the video is entirely fictional, with all events scripted for awareness. The man seen in the viral video has also appeared in other scripted videos on the same page. The page’s introduction mentions that the videos are scripted and created purely for awareness and entertainment. Hence, the claim made in the post is FALSE.
A reverse image search of the keyframes from the viral video led us to a similar video (archived) posted on the Facebook page ‘Social Message’ on 29 April 2024. At 0:28, a disclaimer states that the video is entirely fictional, with scripted events created for awareness.
Upon reviewing the ‘Social Message’ Facebook page, we found that its intro section states that some videos are scripted and created purely for awareness and entertainment. We also noticed similarly scripted videos on the page. The person seen in the viral video appears in other videos (here and here) published on the same page.
The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) has posted detailed guidelines for detecting adulteration of food materials at home. To detect if Watermelon is adulterated with Erythrosine, FSSAI suggests rubbing a cotton ball on the inner succulent part of the watermelon. If the cotton ball turns red, then the watermelon is adulterated. If there is no colour change, the watermelon is unadulterated and safe to consume.
Factly previously debunked the same video when it went viral in May 2024, falsely claiming that a Muslim man was caught adulterating watermelons.
Factly previously debunked similar claims involving a video by “Social Message” created for awareness and entertainment purposes, which went viral as real incidents (here).
To sum up, the viral video does not show a real incident and has no communal angle. It is a scripted video shared on a Facebook page called Social Message on 29 April 2024
(This story was originally published by factly.in, and republished by english.varthabharati.in as part of the Shakti Collective).
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Sujit Nair raises concerns over speculation of DMK-AIADMK understanding to block TVK
Chennai: Journalist and political commentator Sujit Nair has expressed concern over speculation that the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam and the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam could explore a post-poll understanding to prevent Vijay-led Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam from forming the government in Tamil Nadu.
In a social media post, Sujit Nair said the election verdict in Tamil Nadu reflected a clear public demand for political change and argued that the mandate should be respected irrespective of political preferences.
Referring to reports and political discussions surrounding a possible understanding between the DMK and AIADMK, he said he hoped such developments remained only speculative conversations and did not turn into reality.
Nair stated that if such an alliance were to take shape, it would raise serious questions about ideological politics in the country. He said TVK had emerged through a democratic electoral process and that the legitimacy to govern in a parliamentary democracy comes from the people’s verdict.
According to him, attempts to prevent an electoral winner from forming the government through unexpected political arrangements may be constitutionally valid, but many people could view them as politically opportunistic.
He further said that such a move could particularly affect the political image of the DMK, which has historically projected itself around ideology, social justice and opposition politics. Nair said that in ideological terms, the DMK appeared closer to TVK than to the AIADMK, and joining hands with its long-time political rival only to remain in power could weaken its broader political narrative.
He added that the same questions would apply to the AIADMK as well, as the party had spent decades positioning itself against the DMK and such an arrangement could create discomfort among its cadre and supporters.
Drawing a comparison with Maharashtra politics in 2019, Nair said he had expressed similar views when the Shiv Sena formed an alliance with the Indian National Congress and the Nationalist Congress Party after the Assembly elections.
He said post-poll alliances between long-standing political rivals often create a public perception that ideology and electoral mandates become secondary when political power equations come into play.
Nair also said such developments increase public cynicism towards politics and reinforce the belief among voters that ideology is often sidelined after elections.
He maintained that the Tamil Nadu verdict was emphatic and said respecting both the spirit and substance of the mandate was important for the credibility of democratic politics.
