An old video of a torch rally organised by the Indian National Congress in Odisha is being falsely shared on social media as visuals of protests against the central government over newly introduced regulations by the University Grants Commission (UGC).
In the video protesters are carrying posters of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah along with torches.
BOOM found that the video predates the new UGC regulations and is from December 2025, of a torch rally held by the Odisha Congress. The protest was organised against the BJP government, alleging political harassment of Rahul Gandhi and Sonia Gandhi in connection with the National Herald case
The Claim: Video shows protest against UGC regulations
A user on Facebook shared the video with the caption, “HINDU UNITY IS A MYTH. One UGC law was enough for the mask to fall. Brahmins abandoned the slogan of “Hindu unity” overnight. Hindus were never one—and never will be. The foundation of this religion is caste/varna, not equality, not unity. To Dalits & OBCs cheering Hindutva: This is your reality."
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What We Found:
1) Old Video from Odisha
BOOM ran a reverse image search on the keyframes of the viral video which led us to an Instagram post from December 20, 2025 by an Odisha-based media outlet Orissa Mirror with the same video.
The caption read, “Congress holds a Mashal Yatra to protest the decade long ‘false’ National Herald case against Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi.”
Taking a cue, we ran a keyword search and found the same video was posted on the official Facebook page of the Odisha Congress on December 19, 2025. The post mentioned Odisha Pradesh Congress Committee President Bhakta Charan Das also attended the rally along with other leaders.
The Congress had termed the allegations against Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi in the National Herald case as 'false' and accused the BJP of using the ED against its political opponents.
Congress Odisha President Bhakta Charan Das had also posted visuals of the rally on his official X handle on December 20, 2025.
BOOM has previously debunked unrelated visuals from Congress protests over the National Herald case that were falsely shared as anti-UGC protests.
2) 2026 UGC Protests
The UGC recently introduced the Promotion of Equity in Higher Education Institutions Regulations, 2026, aimed at reducing caste-based discrimination in higher education institutions. The announcement of these regulations has triggered protests in several parts of the country, particularly by students from general category communities.
