Authors
Claim
Those who attacked Ram Yatra on 22nd January in Mira Nair area of Mumbai were picked up from their home today.
Fact
The video is at least 2 years old and from Hyderabad, has no connection with the recent violence on Ram Yatra on 22nd January 2024 in Mira Nair area of Mumbai.
A video of some youths being thrashed and detained by cops has gone viral on social media. It is claimed that they are the ones who had attacked on Ram Yatra rally in Mumbai’s Mira Road area on January 22, 2024, the day of the temple’s inauguration in Ayodhya. The video is accompanied by claims that – “Those who attacked Ram Yatra on 22nd in Mira Nair area of Mumbai were picked up from their home.” The X post can be seen here.
Other X users have also posted the video with the same claim. Some of those can be seen here, here, here, and here.
However, our investigation found that the viral video had been available on the internet since 2022 and that this has no connection with the recent Mira Road incident.
Fact Check/Verification
To begin with, we conducted a Google reverse image search on a few key frames of the viral video extracted through InVid tool, which took us to several X posts carrying the same video. One such post by NDTV carried a video post featuring an exact video similar to the viral one, on August 25, 2022. The caption states “Telangana | Protestors gathered at Shalibanda in Hyderabad last night over alleged remarks of suspended BJP leader T Raja Singh on #ProphetMuhammad; police used force to restrain them.” This proves that this video is not recent.
The video was posted on August 25, 2022 by several other X users claiming to be from Hyderabad. You can see those here.
Taking a cue from this, we ran a keyword search with “Protestors gathered at Shalibanda in Hyderabad over alleged remarks of BJP leader T Raja Singh on Prophet Muhammad”, which led us to several news reports by NDTV, CNBC TV18, The News Minute, etc dated August 25, 2022. The reports, which featured a frame of the viral video, stated that police personnel detained several young men suspected to be involved in protests against the suspended BJP leader T Raja Singh on the night of August 24, 2022.
Moreover, a screenshot from the viral video, which is 2:01 long, reveals that the police jeep has a TS09 registration plate. This indicates that the video was filmed in Hyderabad, as TS09 is the code for that city. Therefore, the video is from Telangana.
As per latest update on the incident, less than 48 hours after a mob attacked vehicles displaying ‘Jai Shri Ram’ flags in Mira Road’s Naya Nagar on Sunday night, the local civic authorities swiftly conducted a demolition drive at Hyderi Chowk in the same area. The operation, led by the anti-demolition squad of the Mira-Bhayander Municipal Corporation, involved the deployment of over 1,000 personnel from the Rapid Action Force (RAF), State Reserve Police Force (SRPF), and various police stations in Mira-Bhayander and Vasai-Virar. On Tuesday evening, two bulldozers were brought in to dismantle 17 illegal structures, including extensions to shops, temporary sheds, and a garage.
Conclusion
Thus, the viral video is at least 2 years old and from Hyderabad, and has no connection with the recent violence on Ram Yatra on the 22nd January 2024 in the Mira Road area of Mumbai.
Result: False
Our Sources:
1. X post by NDTV, dated Aug 25, 2022
2. Report by CNBC TV18, dated Aug 25, 2022
If you would like us to fact-check a claim, give feedback or lodge a complaint, WhatsApp us at 9999499044 or email us at checkthis@newschecker.in. You can also visit the Contact Us page and fill out the form.
