Video of an encroachment drive in Depalpur, Pakistan, is falsely shared as showing demolitions in Bareilly Market
On 26 September 2025, violence erupted in Uttar Pradesh’s Bareilly (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 Ittehad-e-Millat Council (IMC) President Maulana 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 demolished buildings is going viral on social media (here, here, and here) with claims that it shows the demolition of unauthorised buildings built by illegal Bangladeshis, Rohingyas, and others in Bareilly Market. Let’s verify the claim made in the post in this article.
Claim: The video shows the demolition of unauthorised buildings built by illegal Bangladeshis, Rohingyas, and others in Bareilly Market.
Fact: The viral video predates the September 2025 Bareilly violence and is unrelated to India. It actually shows a government anti-encroachment operation in Depalpur, Pakistan, and has been on the internet since at least 24 August 2025, where unauthorised shops over 50 years old were demolished. Meanwhile, in Bareilly, following the 26 September 2025 violence, authorities carried out encroachment drives targeting properties linked to the Ittehad-e-Millat Council. On 4 October 2025, the Bareilly Development Authority demolished ‘Raja Palace,’ a marriage hall owned by Maulana Tauqeer Raza Khan’s aide Dr Nafees, for violating construction norms. Hence, the claim made in the post is MISLEADING.
A reverse image search of key frames from the viral video led us to multiple social media posts (here, here, and here) featuring the same video, dated 24 August 2025, confirming that it predates the September 2025 Bareilly violence and is unrelated to the incident. These posts claimed that the video is from Depalpur, Punjab, Pakistan, and shows a government operation.
Taking a cue from these social media posts, we conducted a Google search using relevant keywords, which led us to a Urdu Point Videos news report published on their official YouTube channel on 6 September 2025, featuring the same visuals. According to the report, it covers a recent heavy anti-encroachment operation conducted in Depalpur, where authorities took decisive action against illegal structures that had been in place for over 50 years. The operation resulted in the demolition of numerous unauthorised shops. The video also includes statements from local shopkeepers, who claimed that they had registered their shops and paid taxes on time, yet their shops were demolished, citing encroachment.
Following the communal violence in Bareilly on 26 September 2025, authorities launched encroachment drives targeting properties linked to the Ittehad-e-Millat Council, especially those connected to Maulana Tauqeer Raza Khan. On 4 October 2025, the Bareilly Development Authority demolished ‘Raja Palace,’ a marriage hall owned by Khan’s aide Dr Nafees, citing violations of construction norms. These actions were part of wider efforts by the BDA and Bareilly Municipal Corporation to remove illegal structures and reclaim public spaces.
To sum up, a video of an encroachment drive in Depalpur, Pakistan, is falsely shared as showing demolitions in Bareilly Market.