Roleplay depicting RSS workers in handcuffs is misconstrued as a real incident - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
February 23, 2021
A post accompanying a video of a group of Muslims parading two handcuffed men dressed in RSS uniform is being widely shared across social media platforms with a claim that ‘Muslims paraded two handcuffed RSS men in Kerala’. Through this article let’s fact-check the claim made in the post.
Claim: Group of Muslim men in Kerala paraded couple of handcuffed RSS workers in a procession.
Fact: The video is actually of a march organized by ‘The Popular Front of India (PFI)’, an Islamic organisation in Kerala’s Malappuram in remembrance of the fight that took place between the Britishers and the people of Malabar in 1921. In this march, few people dressed up as RSS workers were handcuffed and paraded on the streets. The video does not show any real incident of handcuffed RSS workers paraded by Muslims. Hence the claim made in the post is MISLEADING.
Google search with relevant keywords led us to a ‘Times of India’ news story which reported the same video. As per this report, the video is actually of a march organised by ‘The Popular Front of India (PFI)’, an Islamic organisation in Kerala’s Malappuram in which some people dressed up as members of Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) were seen marching on road while wearing handcuffs.
Further the report quoted Anees Ahmed, a member of PFI saying that some people depicted RSS members during a programme of PFI in remembrance of the fight that took place between the Britishers and the people of Malabar in 1921. By this, we can infer that a role-play depicting RSS men in handcuffs is misconstrued as a real incident.
Further search led us to a news article of Republic which also reported the same incident. Even this article reported that ‘PFI took out a rally in which persons dressed like RSS cadres and British soldiers were chained & paraded’ in Kerala. Hence, even this article confirms that the video does not show a real incident of RSS workers being handcuffed and paraded on the streets.
To sum it up, role play depicting RSS workers in handcuffs is misconstrued as a real incident.