Fact check: these are not RSS workers being dragged through the streets of Kerala by the Popular Front

A short clip of a group of Muslims marching two men in RSS uniforms is circulating on social media with allegations that Popular Front of India (PFI) activists in the Malappuram district in the Muslim majority in Kerala the Sangh workers in public chained and paraded through the streets.

Two men wearing British uniforms from the colonial era also tied their hands and are paraded by the group dressed in traditional Malabar Muslim attire and with PFI flags.

The caption in Hindi with the video translates into: “PFI rally at Chelari in Kerala. Slogans of ‘la ilaha illallah’ are raised and some RSS workers tied up with chains and ropes are like animals on the street. They are tied up and their procession is taken out according to ISIS style. How was this Ceramic Government allowed this hate march? ”

India Today Anti Fake News War Room (AFWA) found the allegation along with the video misleading. The video is from a march during Popular Front Day 2021, and all the men seen in the video, including those in RSS uniforms, are PFI workers.

The archived versions of similar posts can be seen here, here and here.

AFWA investigation

PFI members dragging RSS workers through the streets would certainly have made headlines. However, no such incident has been reported recently, not even by local media in Kerala. After watching the viral video closely, we could see a “Chelari Tradings” building in the background.

By searching Google for Chelari Tradings, we were able to confirm that the building seen in the video is from Chelari in the Malappuram district of Kerala. A Google Map image of the same building can be seen here.

After that we reach out to Thenhipalam police station under whose boundaries Chelari falls. Inspector Lalu VS confirmed to us that the claim along with the video is misleading.

‘On February 17, PFI held a march as part of their commemoration. The march was peaceful and no incident of violence was reported. The video that went viral was a demonstration held as part of the march. “We have not encountered any recent incident of PFI activists attacking RSS workers,” the inspector said.

For further clarity, we also contacted the RSS office in Kerala. Radhakrishnan M, joint secretary of the Sangh’s Kerala unit, confirmed that there were no such atrocities against RSS workers, as seen in the video.

‘No incident as stated in the social media message came to our attention. We would definitely have responded if PFI had tried to march our members by force, as seen in the viral video. The men seen in the video are not RSS members. It should have been a demonstration by the PFI, ‘Radhakrishnan said.

AFWA then reaches out to the PFI leadership in Kerala. Sudheer, the Kerala spokesperson for the outfit, confirmed to us that the video is in circulation of a march of the tableau held as part of Popular Front Day 2021, and all the men seen in the video, including those in RSS uniforms, are PFI workers.

‘This video comes from a February 17 unit march held by PFI in Malappuram Popular Front Day 2021. It was only a depiction of RSS workers staged by PFI, ”Sudheer said. He also shared with us a video of Anees Ahmed, national general secretary of PFI, where he explains the idea behind the presentation of the tableau.

In the video, Anees says: “This drama represents the struggle between the British and the people of Malabar in 1921. Every year we see people of Malabar celebrate it. The idea portrayed in the video was that the inhabitants of Malabar played an important role in the fight against the external threat of the British in 1921, and now that RSS is imposing the internal threat of fascism, people of Malabar will also confront and protect our country. ”

We also have aTimes NowReport on the video. This February 19 report also confirms that the footage seen in the video was part of a role play by PFI members.

Therefore, it is clear that the men seen in RSS uniforms in the viral video are not real RSS workers but PFI men dressed in Sangh uniforms as part of a rally.