| schema:text
| - Fact Check: This video of man alleging voter suppression is from Bhopal, NOT Uttar Pradesh
Contrary to the viral claims, the incident took place in Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh, during the third phase of voting.
Listen to Story
India Today Fact Check
The video was shot in the Narela ward of Bhopal in Madhya Pradesh, during the third phase of voting — not in Uttar Pradesh.
The fourth phase of the 2024 Lok Sabha elections saw several videos alleging voter suppression being widely shared on social media. One such video shows a man alleging Bharatiya Janata Party members halted voting at his centre and the police did not intervene. The video shows many burqa-clad women present at the scene.
Those sharing this clip alleged that it was from Uttar Pradesh. A Facebook user wrote, “Voting is being stopped in Uttar Pradesh because Muslims are voting more and more. Look at the situation here, how democracy is being murdered.” Its archive can be seen here.
India Today Fact Check found that the viral clip is from Bhopal in Madhya Pradesh, not Uttar Pradesh.
Our Probe
In the comments of one of the viral posts, some claimed that the man in the video was Isa Ahmad. We searched for this person on social media and found a Facebook account, whose display picture matched the person in the viral video. India Today Fact Check contacted Ahmad using the mobile number on his Facebook profile, who confirmed he was the man in the clip.
A local journalist, Ahmad called the viral posts false and clarified that the incident did not occur in Uttar Pradesh but in the Narela ward of Bhopal in Madhya Pradesh. Bhopal went to polls in the third phase of the Lok Sabha polls on May 7.
Speaking to India Today Fact Check, Ahmad alleged that BJP workers disrupted voting at booth number 194 at the NM Convent School after sensing a high turnout of Muslim voters. He said that these workers alleged fake voting and insisted on halting the polling until a woman constable could verify the identity of the burqa-clad women.
Consequently, election officers stopped polling, stating it would only recommence after the sub-divisional magistrate’s inspection. Ahmad said that it was after this that he recorded the viral video. He added that following the SDM’s visit, polling resumed within 20-25 minutes.
Geolocating the polling booth
We located NM Convent School in Bhopal on Google Maps. Photos tagged to the location matched visuals from the viral video, as seen in the comparison below.
While verifying the viral video’s allegations of voter suppression is beyond the scope of India Today Fact Check, it is nonetheless clear that this incident is not from UP at all.
Please share it on our at 73 7000 7000
You can also send us an email at factcheck@intoday.com
|
![[RDF Data]](/fct/images/sw-rdf-blue.png)
![[cxml]](/fct/images/cxml_doc.png)
![[csv]](/fct/images/csv_doc.png)
![[text]](/fct/images/ntriples_doc.png)
![[turtle]](/fct/images/n3turtle_doc.png)
![[ld+json]](/fct/images/jsonld_doc.png)
![[rdf+json]](/fct/images/json_doc.png)
![[rdf+xml]](/fct/images/xml_doc.png)
![[atom+xml]](/fct/images/atom_doc.png)
![[html]](/fct/images/html_doc.png)