Clip from short film falsely shared as violence against Muslims in Haryana

Context

A 30-second video circulating on the platform X (formerly Twitter) depicts a scene where several individuals, some dressed in khaki uniforms purportedly police officers, are restraining a man on the ground. The men attack the individual being held down, threatening him with a firearm, and subjecting him to torture.

Some X users sharing the video claimed that it "exposes" alleged efforts by right-wing organizations like Rastriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), Vishva Hindu Parishad, and Bajrang Dal to oppress Muslims in Haryana. This claim comes following the recent communal violence in Haryana’s Nuh on July 31.

The viral video has been shared with Hindi captions that translate to: "See and think..how much these terrorist organizations are oppressing Muslims in Haryana,RSS Vishva Hindu Parishad Bajrang Dal people..humanity is dying..you are silent." An archived post can be found here.

The video is being shared with a claim that it originates from Haryana and portrays a Muslim individual being victimized by Hindutva groups. (Source: X/@Abdul_1_MS, @Sameer_asp/Altered by Logically Facts)

However, the video was filmed as part of a short film in Lucknow and has been inaccurately linked with the recent communal unrest in Haryana.

What’s the truth?

After conducting a reverse image search using the keyframe extracted from the viral video, we discovered that it had been uploaded in a Facebook post by a user called Vipin Pandey. This video was posted on July 28, 2023, three days before the violence in Haryana broke out. The post caption read, "Coming soon video, so please support my YouTube channel," and included a hyperlink directing users to his YouTube channel.

Screenshot of Vipin Pandey's Facebook post from July 2023. (Source: Facebook/Vipin Pandey)

On July 31, the YouTube channel "Vipin Pandey Entertainment Production," owned by Pandey, uploaded an extended version of the viral video. Within this video, at the ten minute and 45 seconds mark, an identical scene to the one in the viral video can be observed, albeit captured from a different camera angle.

Comparison between the viral video and the video posted on Vipin Pandey Entertainment Production YouTube Channel. (Source: X/@Abdul_1_MS/YouTube)

Additionally, some snippets from the filming of the short movie have been uploaded as brief clips on Pandey's YouTube page.

Screenshot of the videos posted on Vipin Pandey Entertainment Production YouTube Channel. (Source: YouTube/Vipin Pandey)

Logically Facts confirmed with Pandey that the video belonged to him and it was a staged scene. He emphasized that the video is not related to any particular religious group and is not tied to Hindu or Muslim identity. He urged individuals to abstain from sharing the video with incorrect captions. Pandey stated, "There is nothing of that sort here, and I distance myself from political affiliations."

The verdict

The video, which has been circulated with the assertion that it depicts the restraining of a Muslim man by organizations like RSS, Vishva Hindu Parishad, and Bajrang Dal in Haryana's Mewat, is a segment from a Hindi short film titled "Dosti ki saja." Pandey, the creator of the film, informed Logically Facts that the viral video was recorded while filming the short movie in Lucknow.