A nationwide strike was held on 09 July 2025, by a joint platform of 10 central trade unions along with farmers’ and rural workers’ organisations, widely referred to as a “Bharat Bandh.” In this context, a video (here and here) is going viral on social media showing police beating people and chasing away individuals holding flags during a street protest. It is being claimed that this incident took place in Patna, Bihar, during the 2025 Bharat Bandh. Let’s find out the truth behind this video.
Claim: The viral video shows police lathi-charging protesters during the 09 July 2025 Bharat Bandh in Patna, Bihar.
Fact: The video is from an earlier incident on 21 August 2024, during a protest against the Supreme Court’s reservation ruling. It is unrelated to the July 2025 Bharat Bandh. Hence the claim is MISLEADING.
To find the truth, we performed a reverse image search on Google, which led us to an extended version of the viral video uploaded by ANI. The viral video already displayed ANI’s watermark. The full clip, 1 minute and 19 seconds long, was uploaded on 21 August 2024, with the caption “Bihar: Police lathi-charge people in Patna as they stage protest in support of a day-long Bharat Bandh against the Supreme Court’s recent judgment on reservations.” The viral portion starts at the 00:13 timestamp. This confirms that the video is old and unrelated to the current Bharat Bandh on 09 July 2025.
Further research led us to several news reports about the incident (here, here, here and here). According to these reports, on 21 August 2024, a Bharat Bandh was called by nearly 21 Dalit and Adivasi organisations to protest the Supreme Court’s 01 August ruling that allowed sub-classification within SC/ST groups for reservation purposes. The protest was most intense in Bihar, particularly in Patna, where demonstrators blocked roads and police resorted to lathi charge to disperse them.
Additionally, we found a live-streamed video of the same protest by ANI, which is 2 hours and 52 minutes long and was uploaded on 21 August 2024. The video is titled “Bharat Bandh | Bandh News | Dalit, Adivasi groups launch nationwide strike | Police Lathi Charge in Patna.” Upon reviewing the footage, we found that the viral clip appears from the timestamp 3:42, confirming that the video is from the 2024 protest and not related to the 2025 Bharat Bandh.
On 09 July 2025, a Bharat Bandh was called by 10 central trade unions along with farmers’ and rural workers’ organisations. In Bihar, the bandh had a significant impact as it coincided with ongoing protests led by opposition leaders like Rahul Gandhi, Tejashwi Yadav, and Pappu Yadav against the Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls. Six opposition parties, including RJD, Congress, and Left parties, also called for a state-wide bandh ahead of the upcoming Assembly elections. However, the viral video is unrelated to the recent protests and is from an older incident.
To sum up, a 2024 video showing police lathi-charging protesters in Bihar has been is falsely linked to the recent Bharat Bandh in 2025.
