Hyderabad: A 36-second video showing a man being assaulted by a group of passengers inside a crowded metro coach is being widely shared on Facebook and X.
Those sharing the video claim the person is one of the protesters who allegedly abused Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Sanatana Dharma during the recent NEET protests at Jantar Mantar.
Posts with the video claim that the man was identified while travelling in the metro and was ‘taught a lesson’ by fellow passengers. Some users have further urged that similar treatment should be meted out to those who criticise Hinduism and the Prime Minister.
One such post in Telugu translates to “The cockroach from Jantar Mantar who abused Modi and Sanatana Dharma was identified in the Metro and taught a lesson. Such treatment should be given to all such people. Let this Hindu awakening spread across the country. In the Telugu states too, those who abuse Hindu gods, Hindu beliefs and the Prime Minister should receive such a thrashing.” (Archive)
The same claim has been widely shared through Facebook Reels. An archive of those posts can be found here.
Fact Check
NewsMeter found that the claim is false. The viral Delhi Metro video is unrelated to the Jantar Mantar protests or to any person accused of making derogatory remarks against Prime Minister Narendra Modi or Sanatana Dharma.
Instead, the video has been shared on multiple social media accounts as footage of an alleged thief being caught by passengers inside the Delhi Metro in violet line.
How we found the truth
A reverse image search of keyframes from the viral clip led us to multiple Instagram reels by hyperlocal news pages that carried the same video, posted around July 24 and 25.
These posts stated that the incident took place in Delhi Metro where passengers caught an alleged thief, reportedly on the Metro’s Violet Line, and assaulted him before handing him over.
None of these Instagram posts identified the man as a participant in the Jantar Mantar protests or claimed that he had made remarks against Prime Minister Modi or Sanatana Dharma.
What do Delhi Metro officials say?
Further, we have also reached out to the Delhi Metro police for confirmation regarding this incident. The PRO said that they have not received any complaint regarding a Jantar Mantar protester being beaten in Delhi Metro recently. They further added that, at times, there are small thefts. However, they have not received any complaints about this incident either.
Hence, the viral video is false. The footage is unrelated to the protests and has been circulated online as a video showing an alleged thief being caught and assaulted by passengers inside the Delhi Metro.