No, video doesn't show Maldivians protesting halting of India-funded projects

What is the claim?

After Prime Minister Narendra Modi's recent visit to Lakshadweep, several social media users in India called for visiting the archipelago instead of international holiday destinations like the Maldives. A diplomatic row erupted shortly after Maldivian politicians made disparaging comments against Modi and India. The three officials were later suspended, as reported by Reuters on January 7, 2024. This led to a wave of criticism against the Maldives, with Indian social media users promoting hashtags like #BoycottMaldives.

In the midst of this, a social media user known as 'Mr. Sinha,' notorious for posting claims and misinformation, shared a video on X (formerly Twitter). The video depicted people sitting and standing in queues at an office's reception, and was shared with the caption, “There are some residential construction works going on in #Maldives with the help of India. Reportedly the administration has stopped it & now locals are protesting against it... If things remain the same Maldives may witness a civil war/coup (sic).” 

The post garnered over 308,000 views, and an archived version of it can be accessed here. Users across various social media platforms widely shared this video with similar narratives and archived versions of the same can be accessed here.

Screenshots showing the viral posts circulating on social media.
(Source: X/Screenshots/Modified by Logically Facts)

However, Logically Facts conducted an investigation and found that the claims made in the video were untrue.

How did we verify this?

To verify this, Logically Facts closely analyzed the viral video, discovering a banner behind a woman in the video that read "Seeing you better with OneGov." Further research revealed that OneGov is a digital platform of the Maldivian government providing various services to citizens.

A screenshot from the viral video shows the banner with text highlighted on it.
(Source: X/Modified by Logically Facts)

A Google search with the keywords ‘OneGov events in Maldives’ led to a news article by the Maldives regional news website Mihaaru, published on November 16, 2023. This article included an image closely resembling keyframes of the viral video, depicting people gathering at the ministry to file complaints regarding a flat list.

Several similarities between the viral video and the image in the Mihaaru article were identified, including the color of the walls, the false ceiling, and the clock on the wall. 

A comparison of the viral video and the image published in Mihaaru (Source: Screenshot/X/Mihaaru.com)

To corroborate this, Logically Facts reached out to Azima Nizar, the author of the Mihaaru article, who confirmed that the office space seen in the video and the photo in her article is the same, but the claims in the viral post are false.

Nizar explained that the previous Maldivian government had announced a housing project and released a permanent list of flat beneficiaries. She directed us to a tweet by Maldives President Mohamed Muizzu on January 2, where he said that as per the list released, the flats would be allotted to the beneficiaries within two weeks.

“But currently, the ACC (Anti-Corruption Commission) is investigating the issue because a lot of people alleged that flats were allotted to those who did not meet the eligibility criteria. The Housing Minister told me that the process of giving the flat documents will be done only after the ACC completes its probe. The people are protesting with a demand to hand over the flat document as stated by the President,” Nizar added. 

Nizar also redirected us to images of the housing project that were uploaded to X (formerly Twitter). “Project is ongoing as planned and scheduled,” she said.

Logically Facts also contacted OneGov. Varish Mohammad, General Manager of Tradenet Maldives Corporation Limited, which is associated with OneGov, clarified that the video showed residents expressing concerns about a social housing scheme. They visited the Ministry to inquire why they weren't included in the program.

An official from the Maldives Ministry of Construction and Infrastructure corroborated this information, stating that no construction work had been stopped by the administration, and there had been no protests in the Maldives.

According to a report in the Economic Times, India funds some projects in the Maldives, including the development of an airport in Hanimaadhoo and the Greater Male Connectivity Project. However, there is no indication of India-funded projects being halted amid the diplomatic row, despite the Maldivian administration's past 'India Out' rhetoric during the election campaign.

The verdict

In conclusion, the video showing people seeking flat allotments based on a permanent list released by the Maldivian government was falsely shared with the claim that they were protesting the cessation of construction works 'funded by India' in the Maldives. Therefore, Logically Facts has marked this claim as false.