Clip From Sri Lanka Falsely Shared as Hindu Priest Getting Caught With Two Women

The video is from Sri Lanka and shows people assaulting a monk named Pallegama Sumana Thero and two women.

Fact-Check | The viral clip is being shared on social media where users are falsely linking it to India.

(Photo: Altered by The Quint)

A distressing video which shows several people physically assaulting a man and two women inside a room is going viral on the internet. The video is being shared along with a picture of a priest.

What are users claiming?: People shared the video with a caption claiming that the priest was a Hindu and the incident happened in India.

(The Quint has refrained from adding any links to the video due to its disturbing nature.)

The video was posted on 23 July.

(Source: Facebook/Screenshot)

We received a query about the viral claim on our WhatsApp tipline.

What is the truth?: The incident is from Sri Lanka, where several people assaulted monk named Pallegama Sumana Thero and two women inside a house.

• The accused alleged that Thero was engaged in inappropriate behaviour with the two women.

• The picture of the priest in the viral claim shows Nirmal Singh Maharaj, also known as Guruji, who passed away in 2007.

How did we find out?: A keyword search on Google led us to a report published on Asian Mirror, which carried a visual from the viral video.

• The report was headlined, "Sex Scandal Involving Monk and Two Women: Four Youths Arrested over Assault; Complaint Withdrawn, Reconciliation Sought."

• Navagamuwa Police apprehended four people for assaulting Pallegama Sumana Thero and two women inside a house.

• Thero had filed a complaint against the accused and said that they forcefully entered the house and also caused damage to the property.

• The accused alleged that Thero was engaged in inappropriate behaviour with two women.

• The entire incident was filmed and was later circulated on the internet.

• The accused were later released on bail after Thero withdrew his complaint and reportedly expressed his willingness to concile.

The report was published on 8 July 2023.

(Source: Asian Mirror/Screenshot)

Other reports: According to Daily Mirror World, Public Security Minister Tiran Alles ordered to arrest the people who were seen assaulting a Buddhist monk and two women.

• The report also mentioned about the viral video which shows several men beating Pallegama Sumana Thera of the Sumanaramaya Temple and two women after stripping them.

Picture of the priest in viral claim: A reverse image search directed us to a website called 'Guruji Sangat Foundation'. The website carried the same picture and identified the priest as Nirmal Singh Maharaj, also known as Guruji. He passed away in 2007.

He passed away on 31 May 2007.

(Source: Guruji Sangat Foundation/Screenshot)

Conclusion: The video which shows several men assaulting a monk and two women inside a room is being shared with a false claim, where users are linking it to India.

(Not convinced of a post or information you came across online and want it verified? Send us the details on WhatsApp at 9643651818, or e-mail it to us at [e-mail] and we'll fact-check it for you. You can also read all our fact-checked stories here.)