Fact check: are protesters really riding train roofs?

The proliferation of unverified content on social media platforms continues to pose a significant challenge, as evidenced by the recent viral video falsely linked to a political protest in Delhi. The video, which depicted individuals precariously riding on the roofs of crowded trains, was widely shared with the claim that it showed activists of the Cockroach Janata Party (CJP) traveling to a demonstration at Jantar Mantar. Such claims, if left unchecked, can quickly shape public perception, fuel narratives, and potentially lead to misunderstandings or even social unrest.

The Viral Video

The video in question gained considerable traction across social media, particularly on platform X, where it was presented as current footage of CJP activists. The visual content, showing a densely packed train with people on its roof, was inherently dramatic and attention-grabbing, making it ripe for rapid dissemination. The accompanying narrative explicitly tied the dangerous travel method to participation in a specific protest in Delhi, thereby attempting to contextualize the imagery within a contemporary Indian political event. This immediate association with a known political party and a prominent protest location lent a veneer of credibility to the false claim, making it more difficult for casual viewers to discern its true origin.

Mathrubhumi's Investigation

Mathrubhumi's Fact Check Desk undertook a thorough investigation to verify the video's authenticity and context. Their methodology involved using keyframes from the viral video for a reverse image search, a standard practice in debunking visual misinformation. This search quickly revealed that the video had been shared by numerous other social media accounts with similar misleading claims. A critical piece of evidence emerged upon closer inspection: an 'RRBD' watermark visible within the video. This led investigators to the 'Railway Road Bangladesh' Facebook page, where the identical video had been uploaded on September 5. This discovery was pivotal, as the CJP protest in Delhi, to which the video was falsely linked, reportedly began in October, clearly establishing a chronological discrepancy. The 'Railway Road Bangladesh' page is known for regularly sharing content related to Bangladesh Railways, further solidifying the video's actual origin.

False Propaganda

The findings unequivocally confirm that the circulating video constitutes false propaganda. The claim that the visuals depict CJP activists attending the October 10 Jantar Mantar protest is entirely baseless. Instead, the footage is old and originates from Bangladesh, having been available online since September. This incident underscores the ease with which old or geographically distant content can be repurposed and recontextualized to create misleading narratives in a different setting. The rapid spread of such fabricated content highlights the critical role of fact-checking organizations in verifying information and combating the dissemination of misinformation, especially concerning sensitive political and social events.