An old video from Patiala goes viral linking to farmers’ protest.

This video shows a clash between two groups in Patiala, Punjab, in April 2022. It has no link to the farmers’ protest

Farmer unions started their protest march to Delhi to force the Union government to meet their demands on 13 February. Pictures and videos from farmers’ protest venues are widely circulated through social media. 

Against this backdrop, a video showing some members of the Sikh community are breaking into the shops and temples has gone viral on the social media with a claim that the video shows farmers attacking a temple.It is being claimed that this vandalism was done during the farmers’ protest.

The caption of the video states, “Khalistani farmer terrorists attacked the temple. What kind of farmer is he?”

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Fact Check-

A reverse image search revealed that the viral video is from the city of Patiala in Punjab. Journalist Shubhangi Sharma shared the same video on Twitter on 30 April, 2022. The caption states, “This is Patiala. A Hindu temple is being attacked by Khalistani extremists. Many faces are visible in this video. Will the AAP government take action? Or is this the new norm in Punjab? The return to the 70s?”

Keeping this in mind, upon further search we found news reports regarding this event. According to these reports, the Shiv Sena organized a “Khalistan Murdabad March” in Patiala, Punjab, on April 29, 2022. The march was intended to counter a call given by the group ‘Sikhs for Justice’ to observe “Khalistan Foundation Day” When the rally reached Kali Temple in Manjeet Nagar, Patiala, Shiv Sena supporters were attacked with knives and stones by Khalistan supporters.

ANI had shared another video of this riot. In which the police are trying to control the conflict between the two groups.

The person wearing a red T-shirt and a yellow turban is included in both the ANI video and the viral video, as can be seen if you compare the images below.

So it is clear that the incident seen in this video has nothing to do with the current farmers’ strike. This video is about a clash between two groups that took place in Patiala 2 years ago.

Conclusion-

Fact Crescendo found the claim made along with the viral video to be False. This video shows a clash between two groups in Patiala, Punjab, in April 2022. It has no link to the ongoing farmers’ protest.