2023 Video of a bus stoppage issue from Kerala goes viral with false communal spin

Several social media users recently shared a video that allegedly shows a recent incident from Kerala, where women belonging to the Muslim community are harassing a woman from another religious community in a bus for not wearing a Burqa. The incident occurred in 2023 and shows disagreement among passengers regarding the bus stoppage in Kasaragod, Kerala. Therefore, the viral claim is false.

Claim:

A social media user from X(formerly Twitter) shared a video on October 12, 2025, with the caption,““Wear a burqa if you want to board.” That’s what Hindu women were told in Kerala. Secularism in India is a toll gate with selective entry! (sic).” The post got around 10,000 views.

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​Another user also shared the video on October 13, with similar captions and received around 3,400 reposts, 10,000 likes, and 4,49,000 views.

Users on other social media platforms, such as Facebook and Instagram, also shared the video.

Here are the facts:

​We analyzed the viral video and found that it shows a heated conversation between students and a fellow female passenger who is wearing a saree in Malayalam. But nowhere in the video could we hear the students questioning the women for not wearing a burqa.

​We performed a reverse image search and noticed that the video went viral with a similar communal caption in 2023 as well. Furthermore, we found an Asianet News video report dated October 28, 2023, carrying the viral video.  The report debunked the viral communal claim.

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Screenshot of the Asianet News video report dated  October 28, 2025

​According to the report, the incident occurred in Bhaskar Nagar, Kumbla, Kasaragod, Kerala, on October 27, 2025, when students of Khansa Women’s College for Advanced Studies, Kumbla, Kasaragod, protested against a private bus for not stopping at the bus stop near their college. The students resorted to protest after multiple occasions where the bus didn’t stop at the bus stop.

Other media outlets, such as Reporter Live, also reported the incident. The video has gone viral on multiple occasions since 2023 with a similar communal caption.

The analysis of the viral video suggests the video does not show Muslim women in Kerala harassing a Hindu woman for boarding a bus without wearing a burqa. Rather, it shows a heated argument between students and another female passenger following a protest related to the bus stoppage in Kasaragod, Kerala.