A video showing policemen carrying away people without masks in a police van is viral on social media with captions falsely claiming that Delhi police is arresting people for not wearing masks and putting them in jail for ten hours.
BOOM contacted Delhi police and confirmed that no such measures have been enforced by the department. We also geo-located the spot shown in the viral video to Ujjain in Madhya Pradesh. The same was confirmed by a policeman from Ujjain who told BOOM that he could identify one of the constables seen in the video.
Also Read:Comedy Central Sketch Shared As Donald Trump Smashing The Oval Office
Given the spike in the number of COVID-19 cases in several states in the country in recent times, administrative departments have put in place several measures to control the spread of the deadly virus. Delhi has increased the penalty from Rs 500 to Rs 2000 for those caught without masks.
Similarly, as per news reports, Ujjain district administration in MP has decided to levy heavy fines on citizens found without masks. Another measure put in place by Ujjain district administration is a ten-hour jail in open prisons for those found without masks. Read here.
The viral video shows a man pleading with uniformed policemen who are trying to make him board a van. Other people seen without mask are also being rounded up by the cops while bystanders wearing mask look on.
A caption with the viral video reads 'Without mask 10 hours jail in Delhi and soon to be followed in Mumbai, Bangalore, Hyderabad and other States'.
Posts can be seen below and their archived versions can be accessed here and here.
Also read Video Of Flying Hoarding Injuring Bikers In Pak Viral As Cyclone Nivar
Fact Check
BOOM viewed the video closely and found that the police van has a Madhya Pradesh registration number - MP 03 - the details of which can be checked here.
We then searched with relevant keywords and found several articles about similar crackdowns in Madhya Pradesh. We also found a Zee News report published on November 22, 2020 carrying the same video identifying the city as Ujjain.
Taking cue from the article, BOOM located the spot shown in the viral video on Google map and found the same Indian Oil petrol pump at Koyla Phatak Chauraha of Ujjain.
Also Read:Video Of Flying Hoarding Injuring Bikers In Pak Viral As Cyclone Nivar
BOOM also reached out to a policeman posted in Ujjain, who on condition of anonymity, told us that he could identify one of the constables seen in the video.
We also contacted the owner of the Indian Oil petrol pump which can be seen in the background in the viral video.
"I can identify the petrol pump seen in the background. That is ours. However, since I don't spend much time at the pump, I am not sure when did this incident take place," Bhargav told BOOM.
Also Read:1938 Video Of BKS Iyengar Viral As PM Modi Doing Yoga
BOOM could not independently verify under which police station did the incident take place.
