BOOM found that the viral video is of an argument over the sale of a tractor that is being shared out of context linking it to the farmers' protest. The video also pre-dates the ongoing Delhi Chalo march called by farmers since February 13, 2024, and dates back to at least January this year.
Thousands of protesting farmers from neighbouring states, including Punjab, Haryana, and Uttar Pradesh, are marching toward the capital with their tractors demanding assured prices for their crops and the implementation and legal guarantee of a Minimum Support Price (MSP) by the central government. A 21-year-old protester Shubhkaran Singh was killed and 12 Haryana police officers injured in clashes at the Khanauri border point in Punjab - Haryana, during the protests by farmers on February 21.
In the viral video, a group men in turbans can be seen arguing in Punjabi, while one man stops the man sitting on a chair from leaving by catching his neck and pushes him around.
The video was posted on X by the verified handle Minni Razdan (@mini_razdan10) with the caption, "UNBELIEVABLE …. Here in this video they are fighting/ negotiating the rate for participating in the protests. READ TRANSLATION OF THE CONVERSATION IN THE THREAD BELOW"
In another post below she claimed, "Gist of the conversation in this video clip. This is a meeting between the people who are asking the village people to participate in farmers protest and those who are organizing the protest. The guy sitting in the chair is asking for RS. 40,000. to participate in the protest but the guy who is forcing the other guy to sit in the chair and talk to him is offering Rs.35,000. The guy sitting in the chair wants to leave because he tells them that they can see that his tractor is brand new. He will not take anything less than 40k. In between he was offered Rs. 37,500. But the person sitting in chair wants to leave because he is adamant to take nothing less than Rs.40K. Obviously they are using all filthy (BC MC ) words. NOW THE QUESTION IS … WHO IS PAYING SO MUCH MONEY TO THESE PSEUDO FARMERS??"
BOOM has previously fact-checked misinformation posted by Razdan on X.
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The same video is being shared on X by other handles in Hindi with the caption when translated reads, "This video exposes these brokers. There is a debate on the rate of sitting at the border for a month, the person in front ₹ is saying 40000 but the broker who is giving the money is saying 35000 for a month, it is okay, in your farm there are laborers working there. If you have a bus, it sits here, you will get food, if you get liquor, then take 35000. This is their real truth. Repost this as much as possible so that the country knows how despicable people are.. Their aim is not to help farmers but to reduce the popularity of Modi and they have already said so."
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FACT-CHECK
BOOM found that the viral video pre-dates the ongoing farmers' protest that started after February 13, 2024, and the incident in the video is an argument over the sale of a tractor at Barnala tractor market in Punjab, which dates back to at least January 2024.
Taking a hint from the replies to the viral post stating that the argument in the viral video is about the sale of a tractor, we found a YouTube video with the same video posted on January 28, 2024.
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We also found an Instagram post with the same video from January 19, 2024, with a caption in Punjabi that translates, "look at the tractor deal happening".
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The oldest post posted with the viral video we found on Facebook posted by the page 'Jatt Zimidar Vlog' on January 16, 2024, with a caption once again referring to a tractor sale.
In the comments, we found several accounts asking where the video is from and several responses stating that it is from Barnala, Punjab.
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BOOM also reached out to the Facebook page, the article will be updated on receiving a response.
Taking a hint from the comments that the viral video is from Barnala, we found several other videos of tractor sales and bargaining videos shot at the Barnala tractor market.
In these videos below from the same market, we can spot the same buildings in the background as in the viral video, which establishes that it is from the same location.
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BOOM also reached out to independent journalist Sandeep Singh from Punjab, who also confirmed to us that the conversation in Punjabi in the viral video revolves around the sale of a tractor and it is being shared with the false claim linking it to the farmers' protest.
