A video going viral on social media (here, here, and here) shows army personnel trying to control a huge crowd behind barricades, who are allegedly trying to break through. The security personnel are seen managing the situation as footwear is thrown at them by the public. The video is being shared with the claim that the crowd threw footwear on army personnel at the 2025 Prayagraj Maha Kumbh. Let’s verify the truth behind the video in this article.
Claim: The video shows a crowd throwing footwear at army personnel during the 2025 Prayagraj Maha Kumbh.
Fact: The video is from 17 November 2024, during the Pushpa 2: The Rule trailer launch at Gandhi Maidan in Patna. A massive crowd gathered, leading to chaos as fans rushed to see Allu Arjun and Rashmika Mandanna, with many climbing structures and electric poles for a better view. The viral video is not related to the ongoing Prayagraj Maha Kumbh. 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 (archived) by The Telegraph Online dated 18 November 2024 featuring similar visuals. The post’s description stated that, ahead of its release, the makers of Pushpa 2: The Rule organised a grand trailer launch at Gandhi Maidan in Patna, Bihar, on 17 November 2024.
Taking a cue from the Instagram post, a keyword search led to an extended video of the same event on Showsha’s YouTube channel, an entertainment media outlet. The video, uploaded on 18 November 2024 is titled “Pushpa 2: Fans In Patna Create Chaos, Climb Electric Poles; Police Resort To Lathi Charge,”. The description of the video stated that a massive crowd gathered at Gandhi Maidan in Patna for the trailer launch of Pushpa 2: The Rule. The event turned chaotic as fans rushed to see Allu Arjun and Rashmika Mandanna, with many climbing structures and electric poles at the venue for a better view.
The individuals in the viral video match those seen in the video uploaded by Showsha. A comparison is shown below.
We also found several media reports covering the same issue, which can be seen here, here, and here.
To sum up, an old video of a crowd throwing footwear at army personnel during the Pushpa 2 trailer launch in Bihar is falsely shared as being from the ongoing Prayagraj Maha Kumbh.
