CJP Mumbai Protest With ‘Bangladeshi Flags’: Viral Video Truth Explained
Did CJP protesters wave Bangladeshi flags at a political rally in Mumbai? Here is the fact check behind the viral video and the real source of the misleading footage.
A viral video claims a political protest in Mumbai had people waving Bangladeshi flags and wearing Bangladesh cricket team jerseys during protests led by CJP and opposition groups demanding the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar. Numerous social media posts have also emerged claiming these visuals are linked to that protest.
OBC identified that the viral screenshot is misleading.
The viral posts
The user @JaipurDialogues posted this video on X on 4th October, with the caption, ‘ This is not Bangladesh. This is Mumbai. Tells us how important SIR actually is. ’. As of 6 October, the video had amassed over 988 k views, 9.5k reshares and more than 27k likes.
Several users expressed frustration and scepticism in the comments, questioning government enforcement, border security, and party politics. One user commented: ‘So after SIR… these people go back to Bangladesh… fool first question how they get inside… what border security doing… second question… how India will send them back… are they really sending them back or using them as tool to win election… making SIR only for win.’
Another user called for severe legal measures and punishment, demanding: ‘GOI should use face recognition and book all of them under UAPA. Withdraw all govt benefits.’
On 4 October, the X account @HindustanKiArmy shared the same video. The post was captioned, ‘ SHOCKING NEWS :
In Mumbai, Bangladeshi infiltrators are openly waving the Bangladesh flag alongside CJP supporters, while our government and police administration remain silent.’
As of 4 October, the post had garnered over 4.1K views, 158 likes and 95 reposts.
Several other social media accounts in India have also circulated similar videos. The Facebook page ‘The Indian Angle’ shared the same video.
The video features a caption that reads, ‘A protest in Mumbai has emerged amid the ongoing SIR row, with protesters raising concerns over voting rights and alleged deletions from electoral rolls. Opposition parties have accused the Election Commission of removing eligible voters’ names, while the EC has defended the revision process.’ The video has received more than 3.5k likes and 1.1k reshares.
Is This Video Real?
OBC analysed the viral post and conducted a deep-dive search. No official records or credible news reports have verified the occurrence of such an incident. However, further examination provided additional context behind the viral video.
Marathi news channel ABP Majha reported that the video recorded in Virar was not a political or communal protest, but a shoot for an advertisement/film production featuring actors dressed as cricket supporters. Following online outrage after the video went viral, members of local groups confronted the crew and set some of the props, including Bangladeshi flags and jerseys, on fire.
We conducted a reverse image search and geolocated the video’s keyframes.
The location visible in the video keyframes matches the road near the Maharashtra Housing and Area Development Authority (MHADA) layout in Bolinj, Virar East (Palghar district).
A closer, frame-by-frame analysis of the viral video revealed multiple signs of a professional film set. Keyframes showed large crane-mounted production cameras, diffusers, bounce boards, and film crew directing the crowd. These observations further support the conclusion that the video was part of a film production, not a real protest or incident.
OBC’s analysis shows that the viral claim is false and misrepresents a commercial film production as a political demonstration. The viral video does not show Bangladeshi infiltrators or CJP protesters staging a rally in Mumbai. It captures actors and film crew during an advertisement shoot near the MHADA layout in Bolinj, Virar East, which featured cricket supporters as part of the production and had no connection to any political protests or the Election Commission.
