Edited video shared to claim people in Varanasi hurled abuses at Narendra Modi

(Editor’s Note: We have refrained from adding active links to the audio/video due to the use of cuss words.) 

What is the claim?

A video circulating on social media purportedly shows Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, alongside other top leaders of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the National Democratic Alliance (NDA), being verbally abused by people as they walk on the streets of Varanasi in the northern Indian state of Uttar Pradesh.

In the viral video, individuals can be heard chanting slogans against Modi, such as 'murdabad murdabad' (translation: 'down with'), and using profanity.

In addition to Modi, Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh Yogi Adityanath, Minister of Home Affairs of India Amit Shah, BJP President JP Nadda, Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, and Meghalaya Chief Minister Conrad Sangma are also visible in the video.

A few lines of Hindi text are overlaid on the video, mockingly questioning why the leaders are being subjected to so much abuse. The overlaid text also reads, “RJD ✅✅✅✅✅✅✅,” indicating the presence of the name of the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD), an Indian political party primarily based in the states of Bihar and Jharkhand. Another version of the video carries crosses against the BJP’s name. This likely suggests that the video was shared as an incident in either state.

The video has garnered significant attention on social media, with one post alone amassing over 343,000 views, accompanied by the caption, “What is this that we are seeing from Varanasi 😂😂😂 (translated from Hindi)."

 Social media users posted a video claiming that PM Modi and other leaders were verbally abused by the people at Varanasi. (Source: X / Instagram / Modified by Logically Facts).

Archived versions of such posts can be accessed here and here.

However, upon investigation, we discovered that the video, shot after Modi submitted his nomination for the Lok Sabha elections in Varanasi, had been edited to include abusive language and anti-Modi chants.

What is the truth?

We observed that the banner visible in the video clearly states “Karyalay Ziladhikari Varanasi,” indicating that the video originated from the city in Uttar Pradesh.

By conducting a reverse image search on one of the keyframes of the viral video, we uncovered the extended version of the clip published on Modi’s official YouTube channel (archived here) on May 14, 2024.

In this extended video, Modi and various other leaders can be seen walking outside the office of the District Magistrate, Varanasi, after filing his nomination for the 2024 Indian general election. The caption of the video reads, “PM Modi, along with NDA leaders, greets public after filing nomination from Kashi.”

Throughout this extended video, no abusive chants or profane slogans can be heard; instead, there are pro-Modi chants and cheers. 

 Screenshots of the viral video and the one posted by PM Modi (Source: X / YouTube: NarendraModi / Modified by Logically Facts).

We found no news reports corroborating any abuse or anti-Modi chants from the crowd after the prime minister exited the district magistrate’s office following the filing of his nomination papers in Varanasi. Several media outlets covered the event, with some even capturing pro-Modi chants in the crowd outside the collectorate.

Additionally, we discovered a video posted by a social media user in October 2020, containing a longer version of the same audio. Towards the end of the audio, chants in favor of former Union Minister of Indian Railways and ex-Bihar Chief Minister Lalu Prasad Yadav can be heard. Although we were unable to pinpoint the actual incident or the origin of the audio, the presence of chants in favor of Lalu Yadav, who is the president of the RJD, suggests that the audio likely originated from an incident in Bihar.

Furthermore, the inclusion of this audio in a video dating back to 2020 indicates that it does not capture chants from the crowd as Modi left the nomination center and that it was overlaid on the footage.

What happened in Varanasi?

Multiple news reports confirm that the prime minister submitted his nomination papers for the 2024 Lok Sabha elections from Varanasi on Tuesday, May 14, 2024. Before proceeding to the Varanasi district collectorate, videos show Modi offering prayers (archived here) at the Ganga riverbank and Baba Kaal Bhairav temple. Additionally, he held a 6 km-long roadshow later in the evening.

Modi also posted a tweet (archived here) and a video along with some photos from his nomination on the same day.

Modi is contesting for the third consecutive time in Varanasi, having won the constituency by defeating Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) supremo Arvind Kejriwal in 2014 and Samajwadi Party-Bahujan Samaj Party’s candidate Shalini Yadav in the 2019 elections. In the recently concluded Indian general election, he faces competition from six contenders for Varanasi.

With the 2024 Lok Sabha election concluding on June 1, the vote counting is currently underway, and initial trends from the Election Commission suggest that Modi is leading in Varanasi.

The verdict

The video, purporting to show Prime Minister Modi and other leaders from BJP and NDA being verbally abused by individuals in Varanasi, is edited. The original footage dates back to May 2024, when Modi filed his nomination for the Varanasi constituency in the Lok Sabha Elections 2024. No instances of abuse or anti-Modi chants can be heard in the original video.