Bargain over tractor price: Video falsely shared to discredit protesting farmers

A video of an altercation between a group of turbaned men is viral on social media. Users linked the video to the ongoing farmers’ protest and claimed that the altercation was about the ‘monthly rate’ for going to the Shambhu border and protesting. @jpsin1, a verified account followed by PM Narendra Modi, claimed that the viral video exposed the ‘true colours of the brokers’. ‘There has been a debate going on for a month about sitting at the border, the person in front is quoting ₹40,000, but the broker who is giving the money is saying ₹35,000 for a month is fine. “Your farming is big, labourers are working there, you just sit here, you’ll get food, you’ll get alcohol, so take ₹35,000″‘, the tweet read. It garnered over 400000 views. (Archive)

यह वीडियो इन दलालों की पोल खोल रही है

एक महीने तक बॉर्डर पर बैठने का रेट पर बहस हो रही है सामने वाला व्यक्ति ₹40000 बोल रहा है लेकिन जो दलाल पैसे दे रहा है वह कह रहा है यार एक महीने का 35000 ठीक है तेरी खेती बाड़ी तो वहां मजदूर कर ही रहे हैं तेरे को बस यहां बैठता है खाना… pic.twitter.com/Jvt0KNQrKw

— 🇮🇳Jitendra pratap singh🇮🇳 (@jpsin1) February 22, 2024

Former media head and spokesperson of BJP Delhi Naveen Kr Jindal also tweeted the video and wrote, “The people of the country should also see this truth.. The rate for going to the protest is not fixed at 35 thousand or 40 thousand.. there is a fight going on about it.” (Archive)

देश की जनता को यह सच्चाई भी देखनी चाहिए.. आंदोलन में जाने के लिए रेट तय नहीं हो पा रहा 35 हजार या 40 हजार.. को लेकर लड़ाई हो रही है.. pic.twitter.com/fvvfN2sEiv

— Naveen Kr Jindal 🇮🇳 (@naveenjindalbjp) February 22, 2024

Alt News has debunked misinformation shared by Jindal, who was expelled by the BJP in June 2022, several times in the past.

Several other X users also tweeted the same video linking it to the ongoing protests. (Archives- 1, 2)

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Fact Check

Upon a reverse image search of key frames of the viral video, we found several uploads of the same video on TikTok, Facebook and YouTube, the oldest instance dating back to January 2024. Below is a screenshot of the same video on TikTok uploaded on January 18, which is a month prior to the beginning of the farmers’ protest.

Here is another YouTube short containing the same video, uploaded on January 20.

As is evident, the viral video pre-dates the farmers’ protest in Delhi which started on February 13, 2024.

The captions and comments on the videos we found through reverse image search suggested that the altercation seen in the viral video was over a deal being made for selling a tractor. Upon transcribing and translating the viral video in Punjabi, it was revealed that the argument took place during a negotiation over a tractor. While one party demanded 40,000 rupees, the other attempted to negotiate the price down to 35,000 rupees, and then 37,000 rupees. “The tractor is brand new, everything is installed, you can go and check,” stated the former party.

Upon a relevant keyword search on Facebook, we found a longer 2-minute version of the video on a Facebook page called Jatt Zimidar Vlog, captioned “See how the tractor deal is going” in Punjabi. The video was uploaded on January 16, 2024- the oldest instance we could find.

We tried reaching out to the vlogger several times over phone, but were unsuccessful in speaking to him. We noted that he had confirmed to The Quint that the video was related to a tractor sale and was shot in Barnala, Punjab. We shall update the story if the admin of the page Jatt Zimidar Vlog responds to us.

To sum up, it is clear that the viral video of an altercation among some men in turbans has nothing to do with the ongoing farmers’ movement. It shows a heated exchange over the price of a tractor.