The Reservation Hatao Andolan was held on August 21 at Delhi’s Jantar Mantar, opposing caste-based reservation and demanding that economic criteria determine eligibility for quotas. More than 300 protesters gathered despite police denying permission for the location. Police detained several protesters after a standoff, while authorities had offered Ramlila Maidan as an alternative venue.
In the above context, a video is being widely shared on social media where a confrontation between police personnel and protesters can be seen. In the video, we can see a police personnel beating a student with a baton when he is lying on the ground.
Then a second police personnel beats him, till a third one asks his colleague to stop beating the protester.
The video is shared with a caption suggesting that it shows police beating protestors who are demonstrating against the caste-based reservation at Jantar Mantar, Delhi.
A social media user shared the video with a caption that reads, “Hey, just like this, police is raining batons down on unarmed kids. Has the police ever rained batons down on thieves or terrorists? No, because they’d get their asses kicked by them. This useless police can only oppress the innocent.” (Translated from Hindi)
The hashtag associated with the post is #RHA, which stands for Reservation Hatao Andolan.
SouthCheck found that the claim is false. The viral video is from a protest against the NEET paper leak held on July 22.
On a Google reverse image search, we found that the same video was shared by a YouTube channel on July 25. In this video, at around 7 seconds, we can see the visuals from the viral video.
Moreover, as the video predates the anti-reservation movement, we can ascertain that the viral video is old. The hashtag suggests that it was of the CJP protest.
We found that the same video was also shared by the official YouTube channel of the Aam Aadmi Party on July 25. In the video, at around 9 seconds, we can see the same visuals that went viral.
The video suggests that it was a student protest that led to the resignation of Dharmendra Pradhan.
A screenshot of the video was also shared by France 24 on July 28.
The screenshot was shared with the caption that reads, “Students participating in the protests organised by the ‘Cockroach Janta Party,’ along with independent journalists present at the scene, documented the events that led to the downfall of Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan. On the left, protesters can be seen overturning police barricades during the violent day of Monday, July 20. The image on the right documents the ensuing police crackdown: a young man is seen on the ground, surrounded by police officers. He is repeatedly beaten with batons.”
Using this information, we searched with relevant keywords and found that the incident was also reported by Reuters on July 27.
According to the report, the CJP-led student protest over NEET paper leaks and examination irregularities intensified at Delhi’s Jantar Mantar, with protesters demanding accountability and the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan. After weeks of demonstrations and mounting pressure, Pradhan resigned on July 25.
Protesters celebrated the decision as a victory, while the movement also sought compensation for affected families and withdrawal of cases against protesters.
Therefore, we conclude that the viral claim is false.