Trigger warning: Mention of domestic violence
A video of a woman crying is being circulated on social media with captions falsely claiming that she was assaulted by the police and Bajrang Dal workers for abusing Prime Minister Narendra Modi during the Cockroach Janta Party Protest.
BOOM found that the video is from July 16, 2026 when an altercation took place between a husband and wife at a family court in Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh. It is unrelated to the CJP protests.
The claim surfaced amid police action against CJP protesters over alleged remarks targeting the Prime Minister. On July 29, Noida resident Ruchika Sharma was booked for allegedly making "objectionable" remarks against Modi by Noida Police. The Delhi Police too has registered similar FIRs and directed social media platforms to remove such content.
The Claim:
The 35-second clip, showing a woman with visible injuries, is being shared claiming that Bajrang Dal workers 'taught her a lesson' for abusing Modi during the CJP protests at Jantar Mantar.
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What We Found:
1) Video from Varanasi Family Court on July 16
A reverse image search traced the video to a Dainik Jagran report. The woman, identified as Archana Mishra, was allegedly assaulted by her husband, Akhand Upadhyay, at a family court in Varanasi on July 16, 2026. Mishra had arrived at the court for a case hearing when an argument between the couple escalated into violence. She suffered injuries to her head, eye, lips, and other parts of her body, and alleged that her husband snatched her gold chain and locket during the altercation. The viral video was recorded after the assault.
2) Varanasi Police Confirms the Incident
BOOM contacted Varanasi’s Cantonment police station. The station house officer confirmed the details of the incident and said, “The case is from around July 17 and relates to an altercation between a husband and wife on the family court premises. The woman’s name is Archana Mishra. The two have been involved in a dispute for several years, and several cases concerning them have also been registered at different police stations.”