A video showing two individuals assaulting a person is going viral on social media with the claim that it shows Indian Army officer Lieutenant Colonel Karnail Singh being attacked in Kerala after he was allegedly caught harassing a minor girl.
Let’s check the truth.
Fact check:
We started our investigation with a reverse image search on Google, and the results led us to a report by the Business Standard published in December 2024. According to reports, two men were arrested on 30 December 2024 for allegedly assaulting an Army officer during a National Cadet Corps (NCC) camp at KMM College in Thrikkakara, Kochi. The incident occurred shortly after over 60 cadets were hospitalised due to suspected food poisoning at the camp on 23 December.
Using these hints, we conducted further searches and found several news reports regarding this incident. Two people were later arrested in connection with the incident.
According to the PTI news report, the accused were identified as Nishad, a native of Fort Kochi, and Navas, a resident of Palluruthi. “The duo allegedly assaulted Lieutenant Colonel Karneyil Singh, administrative officer of the 21 Kerala NCC Battalion, at an NCC cadet camp held at KMM College,” the report stated.
Moving forward, we also found a post by the NCC authorities on the official X handle @NCC_KER_LAK_DTE on 31 December, 2024, regarding the incident. The post states, “The cadets who felt unwell at the camp conducted by 21 (K) Bn NCC were sent to the nearest hospital without any delay. They were diagnosed as dehydrated and were administered appropriate treatment and, after requisite rest, were discharged. The issue was misinterpreted as a case of food poisoning, which was later found to be untrue by the state medical authorities as well as the investigation ordered by the Army.”
Based on this evidence, we can understand that the viral video does not show Lieutenant Colonel Karneyil Singh being assaulted for allegedly harassing an underage girl.
Conclusion
Fact Crescendo found the claim made along with the video to be Misleading. The video shows Lieutenant Colonel Karnail Singh, an NCC camp commandant in Kerala, being attacked during protests related to a suspected food-poisoning incident at an NCC camp in December 2024.
Title: Old video of an attack on an army officer in Kerala goes viral with misleading claims
Fact Check By: Usha Manoj
Result: Misleading
