Tear gas cannister caught by protester: Pakistan video from 2022 shared as Nepal

Amid the recent unrest in Nepal, several unverified images and videos went viral on social media. One such video shows a man catching a tear gas canister and throwing it back. X User @Ramraajya shared the video and claimed it was from the Nepal protests. The X post garnered nearly 140,000 views.

लड़के ने आँसू गैस के गोले को क्रिकेट बॉल की तरह कैच करके फेंक दिया। ये वीडियो नेपाल में वायरल है। #Nepalprotest pic.twitter.com/s4uiH8WKYu

— अश्विनी सोनी (@Ramraajya) September 10, 2025

Several others amplified the same video with the same claim.

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Fact Check

A Google reverse image search led us to a Facebook video by Gulf Today, uploaded on May 25, 2022, which said that the video showed a Pakistani protestor throwing a canister.

The linked article says that on May 25, 2022, violent clashes broke out across Pakistan as Imran Khan’s Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) held several ‘Azadi March‘ rallies toward the national capital, Islamabad, in support of their demand of the dissolution of the current assemblies and fresh elections. The rallies faced heavy police resistance, the use of tear gas, and barricades in multiple cities.

When the government attempted to force-stop the rallies before they reached Islamabad, there were clashes between the PTI members and police, leading to chaos, confrontations, and arrests, especially in Lahore and surrounding regions.

The Gulf Today article further stated that urging citizens of Islamabad and Rawalpindi to join the stir, Khan had firmly stated the march to Islamabad would continue until the government announced dates for assembly dissolutions and new elections.

A story posted by propakistani.pk also highlighted the demonstrator’s antics.  The article documented how the protestor was compared humorously to a famous catch made by South African cricketer Jonty Rhodes, known for his extraordinary fielding skills, by social media users. The incident quickly became a trending topic on social media, with many praising the worker’s agility and referring to the moment as a “catch” similar to that of the cricket legend.

Moreover, the text ‘Total PARCO’ is visible on a fuel station on the left side of the road. Total PARCO is a joint venture between Total Energies Marketing & Services and Pak Arab Refinery Limited (PARCO) in Pakistan with a cross-country pipeline network. Royal Kulfi is a kulfi joint with stores across Lahore in Pakistan.

To sum up, a three-year-old video from Pakistan showing a protester catching a tear gas canister mid-air and throwing it back was falsely shared on social media as footage from the recent protests in Nepal.