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| - Fact Check: Video of clash over Bhindrawale's poster falsely linked to farmers' protests
India Today Fact Check found that this video is not related to the farmers' protests but shows a clash between two groups over Bhindranwale's poster.
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India Today Fact Check
This video is not related to the farmers' protests but shows a clash between two groups over Bhindranwale’s poster.
As the farmers’ protest continues, a video making the rounds on social media purports to show protesters attacking policemen with swords. An X user shared the video and wrote, “So-called farmer attacking police with swords allowed on them for religious purposes. Are they farmers? Ask yourselves.” Its archive can be seen here.
India Today Fact Check found that this video shows a clash between two groups over the removal of Sikh separatist leader Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale’s poster at a fair in Punjab in January, weeks before the farmers’ protest began.
OUR PROBE
In response to the viral post on X, many users pointed out that the incident was not from a farmers’ protest but from a clash at a Gurudwara in Punjab’s Pahu Wind village on the birth anniversary of Baba Deep Singh, a revered figure in Sikh history.
A search with relevant keywords led us to similar videos uploaded to Facebook on January 2024. As per the information accompanying these videos, this incident took place in Punjab’s Pahu Wind village, where the “pradhan” — a figurehead — was attacked following a dispute over a photo of a “Sikh saint”. His car was vandalised.
In these videos, we spotted several similarities, including the number of police personnel at the scene, the attire of the man wielding the sword, and a banner in the background.
We also found multiple media reports featuring screengrabs from the viral video, published on January 29. As per the Hindustan Times, the clash started when the president of the Pahu Wind gurudwara committee, Colonel (Retd.) Harsimran Singh, asked a group of Sikh volunteers to remove a portrait of Sikh separatist leader Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale from the premises of the gurudwara.
Triggered by this, some Sikh youth, who were carrying swords, vandalised Harsimran’s vehicle. Policemen there, however, managed to take Harsimran Singh to safety.
In a local television news report, we can see the attack from another angle altogether. In this video as well, one can note several commonalities with the viral clip.
Thus, it's clear that a video of a clash between two groups over Bhindranwale’s poster was falsely shared as a scene from the ongoing farmers' protests.
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