On April 22, five militants from The Resistance Front, linked to Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Taiba, attacked tourists in Baisaran Valley near Pahalgam, Jammu and Kashmir, killing 26 and injuring over 20. The group claimed responsibility for the attack.
The assailants targeted non-Muslim visitors, reportedly verifying their religion before shooting. This massacre, the deadliest since the 2008 Mumbai attacks, led India to suspend the Indus Waters Treaty, expel Pakistani diplomats and close its border, escalating tensions with Pakistan.
In the above context, a video of a police operation in public is being widely shared on social media with a caption suggesting that the police in Kashmir are arresting those who were protesting in favour of the Pahalgam terrorist attack.
A social media user shared a caption that reads, “Trends starting to emerge in Kashmir. Hafiz Saeed’s terrorist Muslims are being dragged out of their holes #NeverForgetNeverForgive #PahalgamMuslimTerroristAttack” (Translated from Hindi)
SouthCheck found that the claim is false. The viral video is old and shows police arresting labour union leaders in Vaishno Devi.
On a Google reverse image search, we found that the viral video was shared in a Facebook post on November 27, 2024. The caption suggested that two labour union leaders were arrested in Katra following violent clashes between traders and police after the former protested the proposed ropeway line from Katra town to the Hindu shrine of Vaishno Devi in the area.
Taking the hint, we searched with relevant keywords and found the incident was reported by a website, The Times. The report suggested that protests erupted in Katra in Jammu and Kashmir against the proposed Vaishno Devi ropeway project. Fearing job losses, shopkeepers and labourers clashed with police, leading to the arrest of two union leaders and multiple FIRs.
Greater Kashmir had also reported on the incident.
Therefore, we can ascertain that the viral claim is false
