Karnataka has lately witnessed pro- and anti-hijab protests in many parts of the state and particularly in Shimoga. It is in this context, a video of a huge crowd with people waving saffron flags and dancing to songs is being widely circulated across social media platforms. The video is being shared claiming it as a recent event in Shimoga. Through this article, let’s fact-check the veracity of the video shared in the post.
Claim: Video showing massive Hindu procession in Shimoga, Karnataka.
Fact: The video is available on internet at least since 2019, establishing the fact that the video has nothing to do with the ongoing hijab protests in Karnataka or Shimoga. Further, there are no reports of any such massive gathering taking place in Shimoga or for that matter in Karnataka following the hijab row. Hence the claim made in the post is MISLEADING.
This is an old video and has nothing to do with the current events related to hijab protests in Shimoga or Karnataka. YouTube search with relevant keywords yielded a video that carried similar visuals.
The video was uploaded on 12 September 2019 and has already garnered close to six million views. As per the description of the video, these visuals are related to the 2019 Ram Navami celebrations in Shimoga.
Although we could not independently verify that these visuals are indeed from the 2019 Ram Navami celebrations in Shimoga, the availability of this video on the internet since 2019 establishes the fact that these do not show any recent event in Shimoga.
Moreover, following the series of events that unfolded in Shimoga in relation to the hijab protests, if any such large gathering had indeed happened, the media would have reported it. However, we could not find any news reports of any such massive gathering in Shimoga or for that matter anywhere elsewhere in Karnataka.
Currently, the Karnataka High Court through an interim order has restrained all the students regardless of their religion or faith from wearing religious clothing to class if their college has a prescribed uniform. And further hearings of the case are underway.
To sum it up, an old video of a massive Hindu gathering is passed off as a recent one from Shimoga.
