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PeakMetrics / Fact Checks

Religion & belief fact checks

Explore claims publishers have checked about religion & belief. Read their original ratings and follow the evidence.

3,371 published reviews in this topic

THE QUINTReligion & belief

A man by the name Jayarajan from Valanchery in Kerala ended his life after being heartbroken after two women entered the temple and 'desecrated' it.

Publisher’s rating: FALSE

The claim concerned Jayarajan of Valanchery, Kerala, who reportedly died by suicide after Bindu and Kanakadurga entered Sabarimala’s sanctum sanctorum on 2 January. The Quint’s investigation distinguished two facts that the viral post tied together: the man in the circulated photograph was Jayarajan, and he had died by suicide, but the death was not connected to the temple entry. The article says The Quint contacted Valanchery police. Inspector Pramod P told the publication that Jayarajan’s daughter had confirmed the death had nothing to do with Sabarimala, and that he was not an Ayyappa devotee. The inspector instead described Jayarajan as facing financial and mental issues. This account directly contradicts the post’s asserted motive while not disputing the identity of the man or the fact of his death. The investigation also addressed the image accompanying the claim: the inspector said the photograph showing Jayarajan in front of a temple was circulating in WhatsApp groups, but that his death was unrelated to Sabarimala. Thus, the misleading element was the alleged connection between his suicide and the women’s entry, not the identification of Jayarajan in the image.