A 2020 video of Madhya Pradesh police beating a drunk man is falsely shared as being from the Waqf Bill protests.

Following the passage of the Waqf (Amendment) Act, 2025, in the first week of April, Muslims have been protesting against the newly enacted law across the country, including in West Bengal (here, here, and here). According to news reports (here, here), on 11 April 2025, these protests turned violent in Murshidabad district, West Bengal, resulting in Violence and riots. Reports (here, here, and here) indicate that three people lost their lives in the violence: two Hindus, Chandan Das and Hargobind Das, were killed in a mob attack, while a Muslim man died in police firing. According to reports, hundreds of people (mostly Hindus) affected by the violence in Murshidabad district crossed the Bhagirathi River. They sought refuge in the adjoining Malda district (here, here, and here). On 12 April 2025, the Calcutta High Court ordered the deployment of central forces to restore peace and order in the district (here). Amid this unrest, a video (here, here and here) is going viral on social media showing a policeman brutally beating a man on the street until he collapses. It’s being shared with the claim that a Muslim man was beaten to death by police in Madhya Pradesh for protesting against the Waqf Bill. Let’s find out the truth behind this viral video.

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Claim: A video showing a Muslim man being beaten to death by police in Madhya Pradesh for protesting against the Waqf Bill has gone viral on social media.

Fact: The video is from May 2020, showing two policemen in Chhindwara, Madhya Pradesh, beating a man who was reportedly intoxicated and causing a disturbance. The incident was unrelated to the Waqf Bill protests, and no credible reports confirm that a Muslim man was killed in Madhya Pradesh in connection with the Waqf protests. Hence, the claim is FALSE.

To find the truth, we did a reverse image search on Google, which led us to a Facebook video uploaded by Th News Channel on 25 May 2020. The summary reads: The viral visuals are actually from Chhindwara, Madhya Pradesh, where two policemen were seen beating a man who was allegedly drunk and creating a ruckus. After the video went viral, both officers were taken off field duty, and an inquiry was initiated for further action.

We also found the same visuals in a YouTube news report published by Punjab Kesari on 24 May 2020. The report stated that the disturbing video is from Chhindwara, Madhya Pradesh, where two policemen were seen brutally beating a man, allegedly a drug addict named Vaman Sarai, until he fell unconscious. The incident occurred in Piplanarayanwar village following complaints from locals about the man’s abusive and obscene behaviour. Even after he became unconscious, the officers continued to hit him and then dragged him into a police vehicle.

Further research led us to multiple news reports (here, here, here) confirming that the viral video is from Chhindwara, Madhya Pradesh, and shows two policemen brutally beating a reportedly intoxicated man with batons. The disturbing visuals—shot on a mobile phone—show the man being thrashed until he collapses, after which the officers, with help from a bystander, drag him into a police van. Authorities stated the man was creating a ruckus in the neighbourhood. The incident was reported on 24 May 2020. Following public outrage and media coverage, Additional SP Shashank Garg ordered an inquiry. The two officers involved—Head Constable Krishna Dongre and Constable Ashish—were later suspended.

Additionally, while protests are currently taking place across India over the recently passed Waqf Amendment Bill, this viral video has no connection to those protests. We also couldn’t find any credible reports stating that a Muslim man was killed in Madhya Pradesh in relation to the Waqf Bill protests.

To sum up, a 2020 video of Madhya Pradesh police beating a drunk man was falsely shared as being from the Waqf Bill protests.