Video from Argentina falsely shared as 'Diwali celebrations' in India's Nagaland

What is the claim?

Amid recent Diwali celebrations, the Hindu festival of lights in India, a video showing thousands of people bursting firecrackers in a stadium has been widely shared on social media. The posts claim it depicts celebrations in Nagaland, a state in northeastern India.

A user on X (formerly Twitter) claimed that the video (archived here) shows Diwali festivities at Dimapur Stadium in Nagaland. Several right-wing social media users, including known misinformation spreader 'Megh Updates,' have circulated the video with the same assertion, linking it to the Christian-majority state.

Multiple such posts have mentioned former Delhi Chief Minister and Aam Aadmi Party National Convener Arvind Kejriwal. Ahead of Diwali, Kejriwal urged residents of Delhi to refrain from bursting firecrackers. Despite a blanket ban, reports indicated that many areas in Delhi experienced a significant increase in firecracker usage. Archived versions of these posts can be viewed here, here, here, here and here.

Screenshot of social media posts sharing the viral video. (Source: X/Screenshot)

However, our investigation found that the video does not originate from Nagaland; it actually shows football fans celebrating with firecrackers during a match at Estadio Más Monumental, also known as River Plate Stadium, in Buenos Aires, Argentina.

What did we find?

A reverse image search on a keyframe from the viral video led us to a Facebook post by Daily Mail Sport (archived here), which features the viral clip between the timestamps 0:20 and 0:31. The post is captioned, "SCENES at River Plate vs Atlético Mineiro." While Diwali was celebrated on October 31 and November 1 this year, the Daily Mail Sport video was recorded on October 30. 

Comparison of the viral video with the Daily Mail Sport video. (Source: X/Facebook/Daily Mail Sport/Modified by Logically Facts)

We then conducted a Google search and found a similar video shared by World Soccer magazine on X (archived here). The caption indicates that it shows fireworks during a match between River Plate and Atlético Mineiro in the ongoing Copa Libertadores, an annual Latin American club football competition. 

The post reads, "The Estadio Monumental in Buenos Aires was filled with fireworks ahead of the 2024 Copa Libertadores semi-final. Brazil’s Atlético Mineiro drew 0-0 with River Plate to reach the final for just the second time." 

We also found a YouTube video (archived here) titled "River Plate Fans Crazy Reception Against Atlético Mineiro in Copa Libertadores," which features similar visuals of fans celebrating with fireworks during a match.

According to AP News, Brazil’s Atlético Mineiro drew 0-0 at Argentina’s River Plate on October 30 at the Monumental Stadium, advancing to the Copa Libertadores final for the second time. However, the stadium was reportedly "shut down due to unauthorized use of fireworks" by the fans.

These findings conclusively show that the viral video depicts a celebration during a football match in Buenos Aires, Argentina, not Diwali celebrations in Nagaland as claimed.

Kejriwal's message about firecrackers

On October 30, during a press meet (archived here), Kejriwal urged the people of Delhi to celebrate a noise- and pollution-free Diwali. He emphasized that the issue is not religious, stating, "Even the Supreme Court and High Court say that, in view of the pollution, we should not burst crackers; we should light diyas. This is the festival of lights, not firecrackers."

The verdict

Social media users are incorrectly sharing a video of football fans celebrating with firecrackers during a Copa Libertadores match in Argentina, misrepresenting it as footage depicting Diwali celebrations in Nagaland.