Fact check: This video of liquor distribution is not out of protest from farmers

A short clip of a person sitting in a vehicle spreading alcohol circulated on social media claiming it was a scene from the ongoing farmer protests. The video shows a group of young and old men holding glasses and pickups from outside while the person in the vehicle was pouring liquor on them.

The 31-second video is shared with the caption, “Farmers protest. Free liquor distribution. ”

India Today Anti Fake News War Room (AFWA) found the allegation along with the video misleading. The video has been available on the internet at least since April last year, while the three farm laws against which farmers are protesting were passed by the center in September 2020.

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

AFWA investigation

We did a reverse image search of the key frames of the video and found that it was so on the internet months before the adoption of the three farm laws. Very Facebook users shared the video in April 2020.

However, the central government only implemented the three farm bills in September 2020 during the monetary session of Parliament. They were introduced as by-laws in June 2020 and were passed in both houses of parliament amid a commotion by opposition members. The President gave his consent on 27 September 2020.

The laws led to riots by some farming groups who claimed they would be left at the mercy of companies. Punjab witnessed protests for weeks, and in late November, farmers’ associations rioted in Delhi.

Therefore, it is clear that the video showing the distribution of alcohol is not related to the ongoing peasant protests in India.