Fact-Check: This Video of Police Catching Man Wearing Burqa Is Not From India

Neither is this video recent nor is it related to India or 2024 Lok Sabha Elections.

Fact-Check | The video is old and unrelated to India or Lok Sabha Elections. 

(Photo: Altered by The Quint)

A video which shows a policeman catching a man wearing burqa is being shared on social media platforms with users linking it to 2024 Lok Sabha Elections.

What have users said?: An X (formerly Twitter) premium user shared the video with a caption that said, "Why it's important for polling booth officers to check Burqa clad women, because many of them are not really women."

An archive of the post can be found here.

(Source: X/Screenshot)

The video had garnered over 40 thousand views on the platform at the time of writing this report. More archives of similar claims can be viewed here, here, and here.

What is the truth?: The video has been online since at least June 2023 and is unrelated to India or Lok Sabha Elections. The incident took place in Pakistan's Lahore, where a man was caught wearing a burqa.

How did we find that out?: A Google Lens search on the keyframes of the video directed us to a better quality version uploaded by an X handle named '@MahakAajkal'.

• It was uploaded on 19 June 2023 and its caption said, "Commercial use of #Hijab in Capital city police #pakistan."

• A closer at the background wall showed the words "Capital City Police Lahore" written on it, which indicated the video was recorded in Pakistan.

The video was recorded in Pakistan.

(Source: Viral video/Screenshot/Altered by The Quint)

What did the police say?: The official X handle of Lahore Police replied to one of the posts carrying the same video and clarified that the incident of a man wearing a burqa had raised concern.

• The police said, "While it was a lawful arrest carried out by SI Qadeer, what followed next was distressing as the police officer resorted to indecent gestures while stripping the accused of the fake ladies attire. As a consequence, HC Asif has been suspended from duty and is facing disciplinary action for his actions.."

Conclusion: This video of a policeman catching a man wearing a burqa is not related to India or 2024 Lok Sabha Elections.

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