On 26 September 2025, violence erupted in Uttar Pradesh’s Bareilly, reportedly (here, here, and here) during a protest against police action on people who carried ‘I love Muhammad’ posters during an Eid-e-Milad-un-Nabi procession in Kanpur on 4 September 2025. Soon after that, security forces were deployed to control the situation. As per the reports, a video of an incident where police chased away people who took part in an ‘I Love Muhammad’ procession in Mau District was shared on social media. On 27 September 2025, the Uttar Pradesh Police arrested eight persons in relation to the violence in Bareilly, including a local Islamic Cleric named Tauqeer Raza Khan, who called for a demonstration. The police were examining 92 pieces of footage of the violence, showing crowds breaking barriers and scuffles, while 150 CCTV cameras were being re-examined, and new suspects were continuously being identified.
Amid this, a video showing a large crowd, including several people wearing white skullcaps, waiting to board a train is going viral on social media (here, here, and here). The post claims that Muslims are fleeing Bareilly after being identified by police following the ‘I Love Muhammad’ protests and the subsequent violence in September 2025. Let’s verify the claim made in the post in this article.
Claim: The video shows Muslims fleeing Bareilly after police identified them following the ‘I Love Muhammad’ protests and subsequent violence in September 2025.
Fact: The viral video predates the ‘I Love Muhammad’ protests and violence on 26 September 2025 and has been online since at least 21 August 2025. According to regional media reports, it shows the crowd at Bareilly Junction after the 107th Urs of Aala Hazrat Imam Ahmed Raza Khan Barelvi, held from 18 to 20 August 2025 at the Dargah-e-Ala Hazrat in Bareilly. The three-day annual event concluded on 20 August 2025 with Qul Sharif at 2:38 PM, after which large crowds were seen as pilgrims returned, confirming that the footage is unrelated to the Bareilly violence. Hence, the claim made in the post is FALSE.
A reverse image search of keyframes from the viral video led us to an Instagram post by Bareilly regional media outlet “The Leader Hindi”, dated 21 August 2025, featuring the same video. This confirms that the video predates the Bareilly violence on 26 September 2025. The post claimed it shows the crowd at Bareilly Junction after Urs-e-Razvi. The same video was also uploaded to their YouTube channel on the same day.
According to reports (here, here), the 107th Urs of Aala Hazrat Imam Ahmed Raza Khan Barelvi was held at the Dargah-e-Ala Hazrat in Bareilly, Uttar Pradesh, from 18 to 20 August 2025. This three-day annual event commemorated the death anniversary of an Islamic scholar and Sufi saint, with devotees participating in rituals like Qul Sharif, Mehfil-e-Zikr, Dua, and lectures by Islamic scholars. The Urs concluded on 20 August 2025 with Qul Sharif at 2:38 PM, after which large crowds were seen on the city roads as pilgrims began returning.
To sum up, an old, unrelated video is falsely shared as Muslims fleeing Bareilly following police action on the September 2025 Bareilly violence.
