Old And Unrelated Video From Gujarat Falsely Linked With Wrestlers' Protests

This video predates the wrestlers' protest and is actually from Gujarat.

Fact-check: An old and unrelated video of a massive crowd in Gujarat is being falsely linked with wrestlers' protests.

(Photo: Altered by The Quint)

A video showing a huge crowd gathered on the road is being shared on social media with a claim that it shows people coming out to show their support for the ongoing wrestlers' protests.

Several Indian wrestlers including Vinesh Phogat, Sakshi Malik and Bajrang Punia are protesting against Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) chief Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh, at Jantar Mantar in New Delhi. 

An archive can be seen here.

(Source: Facebook/Screenshot)

(Archives of similar claims can be seen here and here.)

Is the video old?: The video actually dates back to 2022 when a massive roadshow was organised for Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Surat, Gujarat.

How did we find out the truth?: We divided the viral video on multiple keyframes and ran reverse image search on some of them.

• This led us to the same video uploaded on YouTube as a Short on 30 September 2022.

• The title of the video stated that this video is from the roadshow conducted by Modi at Nilgiri Ground in Surat, Gujarat.

• Taking a cue, a looked for Nilgiri ground on Google maps and found out the location matched the viral video's location.

• We were able to spot the statue of Rani Lakshmibai at the Nilgiri Circle in Limbayat, Surat.

The location is Surat, Gujarat.

(Source: Altered by The Quint)

• PM Modi had also uploaded a video on YouTube about Surat's roadshow on 29 September 2022.

• We also found news reports by The Hindu, The Economic Times and Mint from 29 September 2022.

• These reports stated that Modi held roadshows in Surat and Bhavnagar and also launching new developmental projects.

Conclusion: An old and unrelated video of a massive crowd in Gujarat is being falsely linked with wrestlers' protests.

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