Video Shows Crowd at PM Modi's Surat Rally, Not Supporters of Wrestlers' Protest in Delhi - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
May 12, 2023
Amid the escalating protests by Indian wrestlers calling for action to be taken against alleged sexual harassment by the Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) President, Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh, a video showcasing a vast crowd has circulated on social media. This video claims to depict the crowd heading towards Delhi’s Jantar Mantar, rallying in support of the ongoing protest. Let’s verify the claim made in the post.
Claim: Visuals of huge crowd rallying in support of ongoing protest by Indian wrestlers in Delhi.
Fact: The video in question actually captures scenes from PM Modi’s rally in Surat on 29 September 2022. Despite the considerable support from various organizations and individuals for the wrestlers’ protest in Delhi, this viral video has no connection to those demonstrations. Therefore, the claim made in the post is categorically FALSE.
A reverse image search of the viral video led us to a more distinct version of the same footage, which was uploaded on 30 September 2022. This video mentions that the visuals show a crowd at Nilgiri Maidan, congregating after PM Modi’s Roadshow in Surat. Upon closer scrutiny of this video, we identified BJP flags and hoardings featuring PM Modi.
Following this clue, we identified the statue visible in the viral video as the statue of Rani Lakshmi Bai, located at the Nilgiri Circle in Surat, Gujarat.
Upon conducting a side-by-side comparison of the visuals from PM Modi’s rally (here & here) and the viral video, we can conclusively confirm that the scenes in the viral video are indeed from the said rally held on 29 September 2022.
While it’s true that numerous organizations and individuals have shown their support for the wrestlers’ protest in Delhi, this video is unrelated to the ongoing protest.
To sum it up, an old video, unrelated to the current situation, has been incorrectly presented as a crowd rallying in support of the wrestlers’ protest in Delhi.