Following clashes between Delhi police and protesting farmers during the January 26 tractor march, security in Delhi and the National Capital Region (NCR) has intensified. Below is a video showing a group of Nihang Sikhs arguing with a bus driver and attacking the bus with swords, on social media. It is claimed to be a scene from the ongoing peasant protest. The bus belongs to Pepsu Road Transport Corporation (PRTC), a state-owned bus operator in Punjab.
The caption in Hindi on one such video translates into: ‘Government property demolished under the guise of farmers. Attack on government buses. Some people with weak mentality resort to violence in the name of religion. This is clearly visible in the video. The driver of the #PRTC bus parked the bus aside. # FarmersProtest #KisanProtest #kisanandolan #NewsUpdate #delhi #farmersprotestchallenge #farmersprotestchallenge # BJP4IND #kissan #news #instagram #india #Haryana #Punjab. ”
India Today Anti Fake News War Room (AFWA) found the claim misleading. This is a 2019 video from Punjab’s Kapurthala district. The incident apparently took place after the bus allegedly hit one of the horses on which the Nihang Sikhs were riding.
The archived versions of similar posts can be seen here and here.
AFWA investigation
Using a keyword search, we found the same video that has been uploaded to several YouTube channels since at least September 2019.
One such video uploaded on September 23, 2019 on the YouTube channel of P24 News can be seen below.
We also found several media reports about the incident. According to a news release from The Tribune of September 20, 2019, the incident happened after the PRTC bus allegedly accidentally hit one of the horses of the Nihang Sikhs. Roadways officials at the Kapurthala depot also confirmed the incident to The Tribune.
Amar Ujala, Dainik Bhaskar, Jagran and Asianet News also reported on the incident in September 2019.
According to the Jagran report, the incident happened near Gurudwara Shri Tahli Sahib on Kapurthala-Nakodar Road in Kapurthala District, Punjab. Bus number PB09-X-3613 from the Kapurthala depot traveled from Nakodar to Kapurthala on the morning of 14 September 2019. The news manager also identified the bus driver as Nirmal Singh.
It is therefore clear that the video in question is more than a year old and is not related to the ongoing farmers’ protest.
ClaimThe video shows a group of Nihang Sikhs attacking a public bus and using violence during the ongoing farmers’ protest.ClosureThis is a 2019 video from the Kapurthala district in Punjab. The incident apparently took place after the bus accidentally hit one of the horses on which the Nihang Sikhs were riding.
JHOOTH BOLE KAUVA KAATE
The number of crows determines the intensity of the lie.
- 1 Crow: Half true
- 2 crows: mostly lies
- 3 crows: absolutely false
