According to Zee News, the story behind the viral video of a truck driver allegedly offering namaz (Islamic prayers) atop his vehicle at Ramban in Jammu and Kashmir was aired March 4, 2025. The channel alleged that the driver had not pulled over and had prayed in the middle of the road, blocking the flow of traffic for miles and causing great trouble for commuters.
Zee News Allegations Attractor
Throughout its segments, Zee News played the viral video showing the road ahead of the truck was clear. The driver, they claimed, had unreasonably blocked the way for other vehicles by stopping to pray. The anchors asserted that the commuters were angry, and while Zee News had not verified the video, social media users were demanding strict action against the driver.
Fact-Check of the Viral Video
To check the veracity of the claims, a fact-checking process was initiated, which included searching social media for any related posts. Posts on several Facebook pages dating from March 2, 2025, surfaced, one being by an account named Bhat Sajad. The caption read:
“Amid traffic jam on the national highway, a truck driver is offering Zuhr prayers on top of his truck at Ramban on the first day of Ramadan 2025.”
Another one by a Facebook page with the name National Highway Updates NH posted a similar video, captioning it:
“#Mashallah! A man offering Namaz on top of his truck on the National Highway during a traffic jam.”
His Story
However, closer scrutiny showed that there was a traffic jam already ahead of the truck while the driver was praying. This goes against Zee News, which claimed that it was the driver who caused the jam by stopping to pray.
Screenshots taken from the viral video showed clearly that a multitude of vehicles were already stuck in the jam even before the truck was seen. Therefore, the assumption could be made that the driver was not blocking traffic but rather was stuck in the congestion like everyone else.
Ramban Traffic Situation on March 2
In order to investigate further, it was found that traffic updates were being disclosed by the J&K Traffic Police. Their X (formerly Twitter) handle was diligently putting up advisories from February 27, 2025, to regarding disruptions felt on the Jammu-Srinagar National Highway.
28 Feb 2025: The J&K Traffic Police stated that a section of the highway was closed in Ramban area due to cave-ins, causing major disruptions.
From March 1 to March 3, adverse weather, landslides, and restoration worked hampered traffic movement.
These barriers allowed single-lane movement on the highway and hence delays and blockages were unavoidable.
False Claims by Zee News
The conclusion drawn from the evidence and official traffic reports clearly states that:
✅ The traffic jam existed prior and was not caused by the truck driver performing the namaz.
✅ The driver was stuck in the same congestion, so he might have taken the opportunity to pray while on his truck.
✅ The Jammu-Srinagar Highway was already undergoing serious failures because of the weather conditions and damage on roads, resulting in congestion extending over a number of days.
✅ Zee News did not verify these claims but showed misleading allegations against the driver.
It shows the importance of fact-checking viral videos before they are put out into the public domain as it may also cause havoc within the community.
Objectives And Summary
It is already too late for the Jammu-Srinagar Highway to get any humanitarian assistance, as it is already facing a pretty bad weather-over-the-road condition and existing road conditions, hence congestion on the site for many days now.
Zee News is insignificant for creating such big headlines without factually checking the allegations nor giving false credit to the fame.
