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Staged online videos feed Islamophobia in Modi's India
Staged videos are peddling disinformation and fanning sectarian tensions in India, which has seen rising Hindu radicalisation under nationalist Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
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In this picture taken on January 9, 2023, content creator Narendra Verma (C) speaks with his team members during the shooting of a scripted video in Sitapur, in India's Uttar Pradesh state. (AFP/Sanjay Kanojia)
T
he acting is dire and the scenarios fake, but staged videos are peddling disinformation and fanning sectarian tensions in India, which has seen rising Hindu radicalisation under nationalist Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
One such five-minute film purported to show a Muslim man mixing toilet cleaning liquid into a street snack, before being "confronted" by passersby. The video got more than five million views on Facebook.
Another, seen more than 3.5 million times on YouTube, depicts a fruit-seller -- a trade taken up by many Muslims -- cheating customers out of pomegranates before being accosted and assaulted.
"Before buying anything from Muslim Jihadis, watch this video of a Muslim fruit seller," the accompanying caption says.
Millions of followers
Asked about the impact their work may have, the video-makers say the clips are just meant as "entertainment" -- and to make money.
The toilet cleaning liquid video was made by Narendra Verma, who has a Facebook page with 55,000 followers and runs a successful YouTube channel.
