Old clip of Bihar MP Pappu Yadav crying falsely linked to Baba Siddique's murder

What is the claim?

A 13-second video of Bihar Member of Parliament (MP) Rajesh Ranjan, popularly known as Pappu Yadav, is circulating on social media. In the video, Yadav appears to be crying while speaking to the media from inside a car. The claim is that he broke down after the murder of veteran politician Baba Siddique.

Siddique, 66, a senior leader of the Nationalist Congress Party (Ajit Pawar faction), was shot dead outside his son Zeeshan Siddique’s office in Bandra, Mumbai, on October 12, 2024. Members of the Bishnoi gang, linked to Indian gangster Lawrence Bishnoi, have claimed responsibility for the murder. In response, Yadav posted a statement suggesting that he could "destroy the Bishnoi network in 24 hours" if the law permitted.

The video surfaced following Yadav’s statement. In it, Yadav can be seen sitting in a car and telling reporters in Hindi (translated), “I can't tell you how they have beaten me." 

A post on X (formerly Twitter) shared the viral clip with the caption, “Pappu Yadav was killing Lawrence Bishnoi this evening; maybe someone beat him up on the way; he is crying loudly. #BabaSiddiqueShotDead.” Archived versions of similar posts can be viewed here and here. The video is also being shared on Facebook; archives can be found here, here, and here.

Screenshot of viral posts circulating on social media. (Source: X/Facebook/Modified by Logically Facts)

However, our investigation found that the video is old and predates Siddique’s murder.

What did we find?

A reverse image search of the viral clip led us to a YouTube video (archived here) uploaded by The Quint Hindi on September 6, 2018. The video description states that Yadav broke down while speaking to journalists after being attacked by protesters during a 'Bharat Bandh' (nationwide strike) while heading to the 'Nari Bachao Yatra' (Save Women March). The viral clip appears at the 0:39 timestamp, confirming it predates Siddique’s murder.

Screenshot of the video uploaded by The Quint Hindi on September 6, 2028. (Source: YouTube)

According to a 2018 report by NDTV, a nationwide strike was called for on September 6 to protest amendments made that year to the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act. Yadav had told the media that some protesters stopped him on his way to a walkathon for women’s safety and assaulted him. This report included a similar angle of Yadav sitting in the car, matching the visuals in the now-viral video.

Other media outlets like ABP Live and Amar Ujala reported similar details, stating that Yadav was allegedly attacked by protesters in Muzaffarpur, Bihar. However, a report by the news agency ANI quoted the senior superintendent of police in Muzaffarpur denying any attacks on Yadav.

Why were the protests being held?

In September 2018, 35 upper-caste groups called for a 'Bharat Bandh' to protest amendments to the Scheduled Caste/Scheduled Tribe (Prevention of Atrocities) Act. The Rajya Sabha passed a bill to nullify a Supreme Court ruling that had removed the provision for the immediate arrest of individuals booked under the Act, requiring a preliminary inquiry by police before arrest. The protests aimed to restore the Supreme Court's judgment, during which the now-viral clip was recorded.

The verdict

A 2018 video of Bihar MP Pappu Yadav in tears after allegedly being attacked by protesters has gone viral with a false claim that it shows him getting emotional following veteran NCP politician Baba Siddique’s murder.