The Verdict [False]
- The man in the viral video is Baba Balaknath, a priest from the Kshetrapal Temple in Sikar, Rajasthan, not ISKCON leader Chinmoy Krishna Das.
(Trigger warning: This report contains mentions of sexual assault. Reader discretion is advised.)
What is the claim?
An Instagram video showing a man in saffron robes sexually assaulting a woman inside a vehicle has gone viral on social media. The video includes an image of former ISKCON (International Society for Krishna Consciousness) priest Chinmoy Krishna Das in the bottom-left corner, suggesting that he is the man in the video.
Text overlaid on the video reads: “ISKCON Hindu leader was grooming young girls,” and “Modi's (sic) BJP agents are sexual predators.” The post also claims, “India media, Modi, and his BJP are making noise for jailing their funded agent predator who is inciting trouble in Bangladesh.” Due to the explicit and triggering nature of the content, Logically Facts is not sharing the video archives.
Das, a former ISKCON leader and spokesperson for the newly-formed Bangladeshi Hindu group Sammilito Sanatan Jagaran Jote, was arrested at Dhaka airport on November 25, 2024, on sedition charges. His arrest and denial of bail led to violent protests in Bangladesh.
However, our investigation found that the man in the video is Baba Balaknath, a Rajasthani priest unaffiliated with ISKCON, not a 'Hindu leader.’
What we found
A reverse image search of keyframes from the video led us to a Zee News report published on October 20, 2024. The report contains blurred screenshots from the viral video and identifies the man as Baba Balaknath, a priest from the Kshetrapal Temple in Sikar, Rajasthan.
The report alleges that Balaknath sexually assaulted a student, reportedly his devotee, inside a car after lacing prasad (devotional food offerings) with drugs. Other Indian media outlets, includingLallantop, MoneyControl Hindi, and Navbharat Times, also reported on the incident, featuring screenshots of the video.
An ABP report from October 20 (archived here) quoted Sikar’s District Deputy Superintendent SC-ST Ajit Pal, confirming that an investigation was launched after the female student filed a complaint. The police official also mentioned that, besides Baba Balaknath, two other individuals were named in the case.
It is important to note that the man in the video does not resemble Chinmoy Das.
Additionally, Yudhistira Govinda Dasa, Director of Communications for ISKCON India, confirmed to Logically Facts that Baba Balaknath is not affiliated with ISKCON.
The verdict
A video showing a Rajasthani priest sexually assaulting a student in a car has been shared with the false claim that it features an ISKCON Hindu leader, specifically Chinmoy Krishna Das.
This report first appeared on logicallyfacts.com, and has been republished on ABP Live as part of a special arrangement. Apart from the headline, no changes have been made in the report by ABP Live.