# YouTuber disguised as beggar earns Rs 4,000 in 8 hours at Haridwar mela 2026-08-21T14:06:16+00:00 | India | Indian Opinion Desk Corroboration: 1 independent outlet (2 source reports) A YouTuber has claimed his friend disguised as a beggar collected Rs 4,000 in eight hours at the Kawad Mela in Haridwar, Uttarakhand. The video of the social experiment went viral, drawing both criticism and curiosity. The duo said they would spend the money on needy people at the Mela and urged viewers not to repeat the stunt, noting that begging is illegal in India. In a separate incident at Ajmer Sharif Dargah, a man allegedly dressed in a burqa was caught begging during the Mahanna Chhathi event. Dargah committee staff became suspicious of his voice, removed the burqa, and handed him over to police. He was questioned and later released. Police have not provided details on why he was begging in disguise. Times Now reports that India has no single nationwide law criminalising begging, laws vary by state and Union Territory. The Haridwar video was shared on YouTube by user Purshotam Vashisht and had over 22,000 views in five days. The authenticity of both incidents has not been independently confirmed. ## Indian Opinion Analysis Both articles from Times Now treat the YouTuber's claim as an unverified viral story rather than established fact, which is a neutral-report stance. The Ajmer Sharif incident is presented as a straightforward police case. Neither piece adopts a pro-government or critical angle, they simply relay the events and online reactions. The measured takeaway is that these stories highlight the public's mixed feelings about begging, some see it as a social problem, others as a stunt. A key number to watch is whether authorities take any action on either incident. ## Coverage Coverage: 2 sources, 2 neutral - timesnownews.com (neutral report) Presents the YouTuber's claim as a viral unconfirmed story with no independent verification - timesnownews.com (2) (neutral report) Reports the burqa-begging incident as a police case without editorialising This story was synthesised by AI from the 2 sources linked above. Updated: this story now draws on 2 sources. Last updated 2026-09-27T06:20:11+00:00. Tags: Haridwar, Kawad Mela, Purshotam Vashisht, Uttarakhand Canonical: https://indianopinion.org/youtuber-posing-as-beggar-earns-rs-4000-in-8-hours-at-haridwar-mela/ License: Summary and commentary (c) Indian Opinion, reusable with attribution. Facts belong to the linked sources. Cite: https://indianopinion.org/youtuber-posing-as-beggar-earns-rs-4000-in-8-hours-at-haridwar-mela/#story-in-brief Review state: restored archive article, accurate at time of publication, not offered to search indexes. How this brief was made: an AI model read the reports linked above and wrote this summary and analysis, which were published automatically. Published briefs are sampled every hour by an automated quality check; the editor verifies its findings and approves corrections, and corrected briefs carry a dated correction line. Stance labels are editorial classifications of how each outlet framed this story, assigned by the same model, not ratings of the outlets. We do no original reporting. Methodology: https://indianopinion.org/ai-use-policy/