Two unrelated videos from Rajasthan are being circulated on social media with the false claim that they show police action against arrested Bhim Army supporter in Uttar Pradesh's Prayagraj in the wake of recent clashes in the city.
On June 29, Bhim Army chief and Nagina MP Chandrashekhar Azad, was stopped by the police as he visited Karachhana to meet families affected by caste violence, prompting protests from supporters that led to arson and vandalism. Over 600 individuals, including Bhim Army members, were named in FIRs, with around 85 arrests made. Azad has accused police-backed elements of attempting to malign the movement through orchestrated violence.
Video 1:
The video, which showed a group of men being tonsured and paraded by the police, has been shared on social media by a user with the caption, "Condition Bhim Army Veers after UP Police treatment Chandrasekhar Ravan must come to join them in their next protest. Tab jyada maza aayegi (Then it'll be fun)" (archive)
What We Found:
The video is from Rajasthan's Baran district, which has been confirmed by Prayagraj Police.
Video From Rajasthan: We observed a watermark in the video which read @virendrasingh6513. This led us to a user by the same handle, who had uploaded the viral video on June 2. According to the caption, the video shows an incident in Rajasthan's Baran district.
Confirmed by Prayagraj Police: Responding to viral posts on X, Prayagraj Police clarified that the footage is from Baran district, where Kishanganj police arrested several individuals accused of planning a petrol pump robbery.
Video 2:
The second video shows several individuals limping, while being escorted by the police, and has been shared with captions claiming the video showed Bhim Army supporters being escorted by Prayagraj Police. (archive)
What We Found:
This video is a month old and from Rajasthan's Sri Ganganagar’s Sadar police station and has no link to the situation in Prayagraj.
Video from Rajasthan: Using reverse image search, BOOM identified the first video as originating from Sri Ganganagar’s Sadar police station area. According to multiple social media posts and local news coverage between June 5–6, police arrested four individuals for extorting a businessman under the guise of being gangsters.
Police confirmation: Sadar SHO Subhash Chandra further confirmed to BOOM that the video shows the arrest parade conducted by his team. “This is from Sri Ganganagar, Rajasthan. The arrests were made in connection with an extortion case,” he said.
