A video of a competition held in Nepal was falsely shared as an examination for the selection of a postmaster in India.
Many have shared a video of a man riding a bicycle on a very narrow bridge on a waterbody, claiming that this is how postmasters are selected in India. In the video, people could be seen spectating the event, with a few even inside the water on either side of the track.
India Today Fact Check found that the video is not from India. It shows the Cycle Plank Balance competition held in Nepal.
Our Probe
Reverse searching keyframes from the viral video led us to similar videos of the activity shared on multiple YouTube channels. According to the descriptions of these videos, they showed the Cycle Plank Balance competition held in Kapilvastu, a district in the Lumbini province of southern Nepal. Additionally, the national flag of Nepal could be seen on one of the boards in the viral video.
We then found the video in question shared on YouTube in December 2023. This video, per its title and description, showed the second edition of the Cycle Plank Balance competition, organised by the Lions Club of Kapilvastu, a social welfare organisation, at Rajapani, a town in Khotang District of Nepal.
Manik Shrestha reportedly won the competition by crossing the 52-meter track in 56 and one-tenth seconds. He was followed by Anis Tamang, Subham Bhattai, and Arun Aryal, who secured second, third, and fourth positions.
More details
We then found a Vlog made by one of the people present at the competition. In this, we saw two adjacent banners in the middle of the water body that could also be seen in the viral video, confirming that it is indeed from this competition. A comparison between the two can be seen below.
We then found Nepali media reports about this competition, which stated that 11-yea-old Manik Shrestha from Butwal, a city in Nepal, won the second edition of the Cycle Plan Balance competition held at Rajapani on the occasion of Vijayadashami.
The selection process for India Post Office Recruitment usually involves a written examination, followed by a personal interview or document verification. The eligibility criteria for all the posts involve an age limit between 18 and 40 years, a secondary school examination certificate, knowledge of computers, and cycling, among other things.
Thus, it is clear that a competition held in Nepal was falsely shared as an examination for the selection of a postmaster.