A video is being widely shared on social media in which police are seen dragging a temple priest and others out of a temple and assaulting them.
The video is shared with a caption suggesting that it shows police brutality against people in Tamil Nadu for following Hindu rituals under the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) government.
The video is shared with a caption that reads, “Will secular Tamil Nadu police release a video of devotees in mosques and churches being assaulted like this. Only Hindus should correct their mistake and not vote for an anti-Hindu government. Dravidian government should be boycotted #beatingforwage #themediaz #induantiDMK #200UPS. We condemn it...”
SouthCheck found that the claim is false. The viral video is old. It was shot during Covid-19 period, when AIADMK was in power.
On a Google reverse image search, we found that the same video was shared by an X account on March 29, 2020, with a caption that reads, “OMG this is harsh. I don’t wanna go out. Actually, I never went out. I feel bad for those people but it’s for their own good. #CoronaLockdown #coronavirusinindia #CoronavirusOutbreak #StayAtHomeAndStaySafe #COVID2019india #Covid_19 #Covid_19india Don’t come out.”
We found a Facebook page that shared the same video on March 30, 2020.
This hinted that the video is old and possibly when Covid-19 measures were in place.
Taking a hint, we further searched with relevant keywords and found the viral clip in an extended video shared on April 1, 2020, by a YouTube channel, CGTN America.
The video is a montage of multiple such events of police beating those violating lockdown protocols.
The caption associated with the video reads, “Police in India have been filmed beating alleged violators of the country’s coronavirus lockdown. Muslim and Hindu worshipers were hit with sticks at their places of worship. And Police used violence to disperse crowds at major bus depots. Migrants have also been filmed being hosed down with bleach by Indian authorities. Prime Minister Modi announced a 21-day lockdown of India to fight the spread of COVID-19. Migrants are leaving the cities en masse, some saying they will walk 500 miles back to their villages. Health experts warn that this could actually cause the virus to spread more, as infected people return home to isolated areas.”
In the video, at around the 00:51-minute mark, we can see the visuals from the viral clip. Although we couldn’t find the exact location in the video, it is clear that it shows visuals from Covid lockdown.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced the Covid-19 lockdown on March 24, 2020, for 21 days and between 2011 and 2021, AIADMK was in power in Tamil Nadu until DMK won in 2021.
Hence, we can ascertain that the viral video is of the Covid-19 era when AIADMK was in power.