A video of an Indian army man negotiating for passage of military convoys with a group of Sikh men has gone viral. In the opening few seconds, we see that there is a long queue of military trucks and other civilian vehicles. It is shared along with a Hindi text insinuating that farmers stopped the convoy heading to the Indo-China border. The video is widespread against the backdrop of a minor face-off at Tawang after Chinese troops intruded into Indian territory. Viral messages suggest that farmers are obstructing the Indian Army from carrying its duties.

Alt News received requests to fact-check this claim on our WhatsApp helpline number (+91 76000 11160).

(Viral text: рдЪреАрди рд╕реАрдорд╛ рдкрд░ рдЪреЭ рдЖрдпрд╛ рд╣реИ рдпреБрджреНрдз рдХреА рдЖрд╢рдВрдХрд╛ рд╣реИ рднрд╛рд░рдд рдЕрдкрдиреА рд╕реЗрдирд╛ рдкрд╣реБрдВрдЪрд╛ рд░рд╣рд╛ рд╣реЗ рдРрд╕реЗ рдирд╛рдЬреБрдХ рд╕рдордп рдореЗрдВ рдХрд┐рд╕рд╛рдиреЛрдВ рдиреЗ рд╕реЗрдирд╛ рдХреЗ рдХрд╛рдлрд┐рд▓реЗ рдХреЛ рд░реЛрдХ рджрд┐рдпрд╛ рд╣реИ рдЗрд╕реЗ рджреЛ рднрд╛рдЧреЛрдВ рдореЗрдВ рдмрд╛рдЯ рджрд┐рдпрд╛ рдЧрдпрд╛ рд╣реИ рдЖрдзреА рдЧрд╛рдбрд┐реЯреЛрдВ рдХреЛ рдЬрд╛рдиреЗ рджрд┐рдпрд╛ рдФрд░ рдЖрдзреА рдХреЛ рд░реЛрдХ рджрд┐рдпрд╛ рд╕реЗрдирд╛ рдкрд░реЗрд╢рд╛рди рд╣реЗ рдЕрдлрд╕рд░ рд╡рд┐рдирддреА рдХрд░ рд░рд╣реЗ рд╣реИрдВ рдкрд░ рдЗрди рдкрд░ рдХреЛрдИ рдЕрд╕рд░ рдирд╣реА рд╣реЛ рд░рд╣рд╛ рдЖрдЬ рдпрд╣ рджреЗрдЦрдХрд░ рдореЗрд░реЗ рдорди рдореЗрдВ рдЗрдирдХреЗ рдкреНрд░рддрд┐ рдЬреЛ рд╕рдореНрдорд╛рди рдерд╛ рдЬреЛ рдЗрдЬреНреЫрдд рдереА рд╡реЛ рд╕рдорд╛рдкреНрдд рд╣реЛ рдЧрдИ рдФрд░ рдореЗрдВ рд╣реА рдирд╣реА рдЗрд╕ рджреЗрд╢ рдХрд╛ рд╕рдордЭрджрд╛рд░ рдкреЭрд╛ рд▓рд┐рдЦрд╛ рдФрд░ рдЧрд░реАрдм рдордЬрджреВрд░ рднреА рдЗрдирдХреА рдЗрд╕ рд╣рд░рдХрдд рдХреЛ рджреЗрдЦ рдХрд░ рдЗрдирд╕реЗ рдирдлрд░рдд рд╣реА рдХрд░реЗрдЧрд╛ рдереВрдХреЗрдЧрд╛ рдЗрдирдХреЗ рдКрдкрд░ ред)

This video has been shared in several pro-government Facebook pages with members ranging from a few thousand to 10 lakhs тАФ рднрд╛рдЬрдкрд╛ рд▓рдХреНрд╖реНрдп 2024 ( рд╕рдорд░реНрдерди рдХреЗ рд▓рд┐рдП рдЬреБреЬреЗ ) [close to 10 lakh members] рдпреЛрдЧреА рдЖрджрд┐рддреНрдпрдирд╛рде рдЬреА рдХреЗ рдлреИрди (рдЧреНрд░реБрдк) [ over 3 lakh members], рднрд╛рд░рддреАрдп рдЬрдирддрд╛ рдкрд╛рд░реНрдЯреА (2024) [over 3 lakh members], рдПрдХ рдХреЛрдЯреА рднрд╛рдЬрдкрд╛ рд╕рдорд░реНрдердХ [84,000 members], RSS [81,000 members], рдЬрдп рднрд╛рдЬрдкрд╛ , рддрдп рднрд╛рдЬрдкрд╛ редред [69,000 members] рднрд╛рдЬрдкрд╛ рдорд╣рд╛рд░рд╛рд╖реНрдЯреНрд░ [31,000 members] рдХрдЯреНрдЯрд░ рд╣рд┐рдиреНрджреБ (official group) [14,000 members], ЁЯЪйрдпреЛрдЧреА рдЖрджрд┐рддреНрдпрдирд╛рде рдХреА рд╕реЗрдирд╛ЁЯЪй ( ЁЯЪйрдпреЛрдЧреА рднрдХреНрдд рдЬреБреЬреЗ ЁЯЪй) [11,000 members] and We Love & Support PM MODI [2,000 members]

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Indian Army official refutes the claim

At the 20-second mark in the viral video, an army man states that they are engaged in an exercise. This video was also tweeted by Anil Chopra, an Indian Airforce veteran, on September 28.

In order to verify the video, we spoke with a concerned Indian Army official. He told Alt News, “This video is from September 27.” Readers should note that on this day a Bharat Bandh was called by the Samyukta Kisan Morcha (SKM), an umbrella body of 40 farm unions from 6 AM to 4 PM to mark one year since President Ram Nath Kovind gave his assent to the three controversial farm laws.

“Twenty vehicles were headed from Kapurthala to Bir Sarangwal (Jalandhar) as a part of the field exercise,” he added, which means the convoy was travelling within the State of Punjab.

“A section of the convoy was stopped by members of the Kisan Aandolan Morcha near Jalandhar. The stoppage was only for 20 minutes. The farmers were courteous and shook hands while departing which is not shown in the viral video,” the officer said. When we specifically asked if the convoy was heading to the Indo-China border, the officer refuted the claim.

To conclude, another video was shared on social media to discredit the ongoing farmers’ protest. Last year, Alt News debunked a video of military trucks passing by on a highway with the false claim that the army has been deployed to control the protests.

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About the Author

ЁЯЩП Blessed to have worked as a fact-checking journalist from November 2019 to February 2023.