A video of makeshift toilets being setup at the Swarved Mahamandir in Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh, is being shared on social media falsely claiming it shows sanitary arrangements being made at the complex of the Ram Mandir in Ayodhya before the consecration ceremony slated later this month.
The Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust has formally invited several prominent personalities for the event including Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat, Uttar Pradesh Governor Anandiben Patel, and including the trust president Nritya Gopal Das. According to reports, these dignitaries would be present in the ‘garbh grih’ or the inner sanctum when the idol of Lord Ram is installed. The ceremony comes decades after legal dispute over the land after the Babri Masjid was demolished by a violent mob back in December 1992.
The viral video shows makeshift Indian and western toilets being setup and the audio has been overlayed with a sarcastic Hindi dialogues. The video was posted on X (formerly known as Twitter) by the handle @rajivtango with the caption, "Arrangements for visitors to Ayodhya - two rows of open Indian toilets, directly splashing their contents into an open deep trench latrine..."
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The same video is also being shared with an overlayed audio in Punjabi making the same false claim. The handle @Noah_V0 posted it with the caption, "India: Mass Shitting arrangements in Ayodhya India for Hindu devotee’s visiting Ram Temple. They can do it in open, without Caste and Discrimination, sitting side by side"
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FACT-CHECK
BOOM found that the viral video dates back to December 2023 and is from Swarved Mahamandir in Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh, when makeshift toilets were being setup before the inauguration ceremony on December 18, 2023.
We broke the video into key-frames and ran a reverse image search using Google Images which search results showed YouTube videos with similar visuals uploaded in December 2023. The titles of the video stated that they were shot at Swarved Mahamandir in Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh.
The YouTube channel AMT YouTuber uploaded a video with similar visuals on December 11, 2023, with the caption, "Swarved Mahamandir Dham Varanasi". In the video, the person shooting it shows the preparations that were going on for the inauguration on December 18, 2023, which was set to be inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
From the 10, 40 minutes timestamp we can see the same location that can be seen in the viral video, with makeshift Indian toilets being setup.
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On comparing the visuals seen in the viral video with the footage shot and uploaded on YouTube by the blogger we can see the same features present in both which confirms it the same spot.
Also, in another YouTube video uploaded on December 13, 2023, we can see these same makeshift toilets being setup there.
We also found news reports on the inauguration ceremony at Swarved Mahamandir which was attended by PM Modi on December 18, 2023. Hindustan Times reported on December 18, 2023 that PM Modi had inaugurated the Swarved Mahamandir, which is a seven-floor temple located in Varanasi's Umaraha area. The report further added that PM Modi along with Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath had taken a tour of the centre that can seat 20,000 people at a time.
Screenshot from Swarved Mahamandir website
BOOM then reached out to a source at the Swarved Mahamandir who confirmed to BOOM that the footage in the viral video is from there.
BOOM Bangla had previously debunked another video that was shot at the Swarved Mahamandir's inauguration site showing havan kunds built there which was being shared falsely claiming it is from the Ram Mandir in Ayodhya.