A video going viral on social media (here, here, and here) shows a group of men at a residential society holding saffron flags and chanting slogans in support of Lord Ram and Hindus. Residents standing on their balconies can also be seen supporting the men below. The post also claims that the video is of the election campaign in Maharashtra for the upcoming 2024 assembly elections. Let’s verify the truth behind the video in this article.
Claim: A video shows a group of men chanting pro-Hindu slogans in a Maharashtra housing society as part of the upcoming assembly election campaign.
Fact: The video is from February 2022, showing a “Prabhat Pheri,” a morning religious procession by Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh workers in various Kanpur residential societies, including Diviniti Homes in Indra Nagar. It is not related to the 2024 Maharashtra assembly elections. Hence, the claim made in the post is FALSE.
A reverse image search of the keyframes from the viral video led us to several social media posts (here, here, and here) from February 2022 featuring the same viral video. One user claimed that the clip showed a “Prabhat Pheri,” or a morning religious procession, organized by Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh workers in various residential societies in Kanpur, Uttar Pradesh and listed the names of the societies involved.
Taking a clue from the post description, we searched the names of these housing complexes on Google Maps and found that the structure of Diviniti Homes in Indra Nagar, Kanpur matched the visuals in the viral video. A comparison of the balconies and windows from the viral video and the 2022 social media posts is given below.
Along with chanting these slogans, the group also encouraged residents to vote in the UP state assembly election in February 2022.
To sum up, an old February 2022 video from Kanpur showing pro-Hindu slogans in a housing society is being falsely shared as visuals from the 2024 Maharashtra election campaign.
