On December 25, a viral video which shows cows chasing Indian policemen was tweeted by Pakistani political commentator Zaid Hamid. He wrote, “Innovative counter attack… When Indian police raided a village, the civilians used armoured infantry…”
Similarly, another Pakistani Twitter user @ZMunir4 shared the video with the same text in both English and Urdu, “Innovative counter attack… When Indian police raided a village, the civilians used armoured infantry…╪м╪п█М╪п ╪з┘Ж╪│╪п╪з╪п ╪н┘Е┘Д█Б … ╪м╪и ╪и┌╛╪з╪▒╪к█М ┘╛┘И┘Д█М╪│ ┘Ж█Т ╪з█М┌й ┌п╪з╪д┌║ ┘╛╪▒ ┌Ж┌╛╪з┘╛█Б ┘Е╪з╪▒╪з ╪к┘И ╪М ╪┤█Б╪▒█М┘И┌║ ┘Ж█Т ╪и┌й╪к╪▒ ╪и┘Ж╪п ┘╛█М╪з╪п█Б ╪з╪│╪к╪╣┘Е╪з┘Д ┌й█М╪з …..” the tweet said.
Innovative counter attack…
When Indian police raided a village, the civilians used armoured infantry…..ЁЯдг
╪м╪п█М╪п ╪з┘Ж╪│╪п╪з╪п ╪н┘Е┘Д█Б …
╪м╪и ╪и┌╛╪з╪▒╪к█М ┘╛┘И┘Д█М╪│ ┘Ж█Т ╪з█М┌й ┌п╪з╪д┌║ ┘╛╪▒ ┌Ж┌╛╪з┘╛█Б ┘Е╪з╪▒╪з ╪к┘И ╪М ╪┤█Б╪▒█М┘И┌║ ┘Ж█Т ╪и┌й╪к╪▒ ╪и┘Ж╪п ┘╛█М╪з╪п█Б ╪з╪│╪к╪╣┘Е╪з┘Д
ЁЯдЧЁЯСЗ┌й█М╪з ….. pic.twitter.com/3u6U28zvwYтАФ ╪▓┘И┘Ж█М╪▒█Б ┘Е┘Ж█М╪▒ (@ZMunir4) December 26, 2019
Similar posts were posted by several social media accounts on Twitter and Facebook.
Old video, false claim
Alt News found a longer version of the same video upon reverse searching a frame on Google. Twitter user @12mgoswami shared the clip August 30. He claimed that the video is from Maharastra and pertains to the festival ‘Bail Pola’. He wrote, “Farmers in Maharashtra celebrated their festival in a grand manner, watch the video #рдмреИрд▓_рдкреЛрд│рд╛ [Translated from рдорд╣рд╛рд░рд╛рд╖реНрдЯреНрд░ рдореЗрдВ рдХрд┐рд╕рд╛рдиреЛрдВ рдиреЗ рдЕрдкрдирд╛ рддреЗрд╡реНрд╣рд╛рд░ рдзреВрдо рдзрд╛рдо рд╕реЗ рдордирд╛рдпрд╛ рд╡реНрд╣рд┐рдбрд┐рдпреЛ рдЬрд░реВрд░ рджреЗрдЦреЗрдВ #рдмреИрд▓_рдкреЛрд│рд╛]”
рдорд╣рд╛рд░рд╛рд╖реНрдЯреНрд░ рдореЗрдВ рдХрд┐рд╕рд╛рдиреЛрдВ рдиреЗ рдЕрдкрдирд╛ рддреЗрд╡реНрд╣рд╛рд░ рдзреВрдо рдзрд╛рдо рд╕реЗ рдордирд╛рдпрд╛ рд╡реНрд╣рд┐рдбрд┐рдпреЛ рдЬрд░реВрд░ рджреЗрдЦреЗрдВ#рдмреИрд▓_рдкреЛрд│рд╛ pic.twitter.com/7CVeyTrkv0
тАФ рд╣рд┐рдиреНрджреВ рдорд╣реЗрдВрджреНрд░ рдЧрд┐рд░реА рдЧреЛрд╕рд╛рд╡реА (@12mgoswami) August 30, 2019
Alt News then performed a keyword search on YouTube and found another copy of the same video. It was also posted on August 30, 2019.
Bail Pola was held on August 30 this year. It is a festival celebrated in rural parts of Madhya Pradesh, Chattisgarh and Maharashtra, among other states. Farmers pay respects to their bulls by decorating and worshipping the animal. A procession is also carried out in the village with the bulls. Alt News found other videos of the procession where policemen can be spotted. If one notices carefully, the bulls haven’t been unleashed on the cops but they are making way for the animal.
Several Pakistani social media users, therefore, shared the video with the false claim that villagers in India unleashed cows on policemen conducting a raid in the area.
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