Farmers from Punjab, Haryana and Western Uttar Pradesh marched towards Delhi on February 13, 2024, in demand of the minimum support price (MSP) on their crops.
In the above context, a video has gone viral on social media in which a person is seen holding the collar of another person and asking him to sit down. They are also discussing whether the rate should be Rs 35,000 or Rs 50,000.
A social media user shared the video with a caption that reads, “महीने का बॉर्डर #FarmerProtest में जाने का रेट तय नहीं हो पा रहा 35 हज़ार या 40 हज़ार। ऐसे वीडियो बाहर नहीं आने चाहिये वरना इन खालीस्तानी आंदोलन जीवी यो की पोल खुल जाएंगी।” (English translation, “The rate for going to the border for farmers protest for a month is being decided between Rs 35,000 or 40,000. Such videos should not come out otherwise these Khalistani movement leaders will be exposed.”)
SouthCheck found the claim to be false. The viral video is of a tractor sale market in Punjab.
On doing a Google Reverse Image with one of the screenshots, we found the same video was uploaded by a YouTube channel on February 17, 2024, with a caption that reads, “Funny tractor sale deal.”
Another Facebook page has uploaded the same video on January 16, 2024, with a caption that reads, “ਦੇਖੋ ਕਿਵੇਂ ਹੋ ਰਿਹਾ ਸੌਦਾ ਟਰੈਕਟਰ ਦਾ.” (English translation, “See how the tractor deal is going.”)
A YouTube channel, PanjPani_TV, uploaded the same video on January 28, 2024. From the About Us section of the channel, we reached the Facebook page, which eventually led to the contact details of the journalist who owns the page. We reached out to the local journalist, Dev Karan, who said that though the video as not shot by him, it is of a tractor market in Barnala, Punjab. The video shows a a tractor deal happening at the market.
Hence, we can ascertain that the viral video is not related to farmers’ protest.