Fact Check: Video showing mob pelting stones at public property makes false claim that it took place in Karnataka
A video of a mob destroying state-owned buses and other public property is viral with a claim that the people of Karnataka are destroying buses
Claim :
The video shows an incident in Karnataka, where the government is running a free bus service for womenFact :
The video is from Surat, Gujarat when violence erupted during a rally in 2019
A video of a mob destroying state-owned buses and other public property is viral with a claim that the people of Karnataka are destroying buses because the conductor of the bus did not stop the bus when a Muslim woman tried to stop it. The group of people, prominently wearing skull caps, can be seen shouting at each other and pelting stones at the buses and other public property.
The claim in Telugu goes as “*ఇది ఎక్కడో అమెరికా, పాకిస్తాన్, చైనా, జపా
When translated, it claims: “This incident did not happen somewhere in America or Pakistan or China or Japan. This happened in Karnataka state. As we all know, the Government of Karnataka introduced free bus service for women. And when a Muslim woman tried to get into the bus by stopping it, the conductor of the bus did not stop it. So the mob got angry and attacked the buses in service.”
Fact Check:
The claim is Misleading. The incident seen in the video took place in Surat, Gujarat in 2019.
When we searched the screenshots taken from the video using Google reverse image search, we found an article published by ‘The Quint’ on July 05, 2019.
The article states that the incident occurred in Surat, Gujarat. The violence broke out between the protestors and police. The protestors wanted to conduct a rally against the lynchings happening in the country. But the police did not give permission for that.
The angry mob pelted stones at the police and destroyed public property. The video shared by the article shows the same visuals as in the viral video.
A video published by ABP Asmita on July 05, 2019, shows similar visuals of the mob violence. The description of the video states “The peaceful demonstration against mob lynching in Surat of Gujarat suddenly took a violent turn. Mob resorted to stone pelting as a result of which police fired tear gas to disperse the crowd.”
ANI article published on July 05, 2019 states #WATCH Surat: 4-5 policemen injured after a clash broke out when police tried to stop people from taking out a rally in the Nanpura area, today. Section 144 (prohibits assembly of more than 4 people in an area) has been imposed in the area. The rally didn't have permission. #Gujarat
Several fact-check organisations debunked the video, when it went viral linking it to violence in Haryana that took place in August 2023.
Therefore, the viral video of the mob pelting stones and destroying public property is not from Karnataka but from Surat, Gujarat in 2019. This is a Misleading Claim.
