The Samajwadi Party, led by former Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav, recently reiterated its focus on the PDA strategy, Pichhda (backward), Dalit, and Alpsankhyak (minorities) — and announced that it will work alongside the INDIA bloc to implement this strategy in the run-up to the 2027 Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections. In this context, a video (here, here and here) is viral on social media showing a physical altercation between two groups, where a man is seen being beaten. The clip is being shared with the claim that members of Yadav’s team assaulted a Dalit man for sitting on a sofa. Let’s examine the truth behind this video.
Claim: The viral video shows Samajwadi Party members assaulting a Dalit man in Uttar Pradesh for sitting on a sofa.
Fact: The video is not from Uttar Pradesh and has no link to the Samajwadi Party, and does not show any caste-related incident. It shows a clash between NCP workers and Chhava Sanghatna members during a protest in Latur, Maharashtra. Hence the claim is FALSE.
To verify the truth behind the viral video, we conducted a reverse image search of the keyframes on Google, which led us to the same video with additional stills posted by the X handle of Lokmat Times Nagpur on 20 July 2025. The post was captioned “Chaos by Chhava Organization in Latur; Cards thrown in front of Sunil Tatkare. Protesting against the Agriculture Minister, Chhava activists created a ruckus at the Latur Government Guest House; clash broke out with NCP workers, police intervened to restore order.” This clearly indicates that the incident took place in Latur, Maharashtra, not Uttar Pradesh.
A keyword search led us to several news reports, including keyframes from the viral video (here, here and here). According to these reports, a violent clash broke out in Latur, Maharashtra, after NCP workers allegedly assaulted Chhava Sanghatna leader Vijaykumar Ghadge during a protest at a press meet. The altercation followed activists demanding the resignation of Agriculture Minister Manikrao Kokate. Ghadge was reportedly beaten in front of the police, and the assault was captured on camera. The incident sparked strong criticism from opposition leaders, highlighting concerns over political intolerance and abuse of power.
Additionally, a search for any incident involving Samajwadi Party members attacking a Dalit yielded no results. The viral video has no connection to any Dalit or caste-related issue and is unrelated to Uttar Pradesh and the Samajwadi Party.
To sum up, an unrelated video from Maharashtra is falsely shared as Samajwadi Party members attacking a Dalit in Uttar Pradesh.
