Close on the heels of the communal violence in Karauli, a video clip is being circulated on social media with the claim that it shows a mob blocking a Hindu New Year rally.
In the video, a group of people holding saffron flags are seen facing off with a few Muslims, while the police try to push them back.
To determine the location where the incident took place, we geolocated a shop called Nikhil Collection, whose nameboard could be seen prominently in the clip. A shop with the same name in Phagwara, Punjab, matched the one featured in the clip.
We then did a keyword search using the terms ‘Phagwara’, ‘Hindu’ and ‘Muslim’ and found an Indian Express report on the incident, dated July 23, 2016. It also had photographs of the same individuals seen in the clip.
As it turned out, the incident had nothing to do with the Hindu New Year. It dates back to 2016, when protesters from the Shiv Sena faced off with a group of Muslims following the disruption of the Amarnath Yatra in Jammu and Kashmir.
Fact check
Fake
