‘Chalo Delhi’ Protests: Bangladesh Footage and AI-Generated Video Fuel Misinformation
Videos claiming to show Congress workers killed in Delhi Police firing and lakhs of people gathering at Ramlila Maidan have gone viral. But one shows a protest in Bangladesh, while the other is AI-generated. OBC’s fact-check examines how misleading videos are being used to distort the narrative around the ‘Chalo Delhi’ protests.
On November 1, the opposition INDIA bloc organised the ‘Chalo Delhi’ rally at Ramlila Maidan to demand the resignation of the Chief Election Commissioner over electoral roll irregularities. Key opposition leaders, including Rahul Gandhi, Mallikarjun Kharge, Mamata Banerjee, Akhilesh Yadav, and Pinarayi Vijayan, participated in the march.
Two videos are circulating widely on X, promoting distorted narratives about the protests. One video shows that four Congress workers have reportedly been killed and 10 injured in Delhi Police firing. The other video shows a large number of people, approximately lakhs of people, present at the protest.
OBC found these posts misleading.
The viral posts
‘Clashes, Violence and Bloodshed’
On November 1, X user Anushi Tiwari shared two videos claiming to show protesters vandalising a police vehicle and clashing with security personnel in Delhi. The post is captioned: “My India Is Burning. 4 Congress workers have reportedly been killed and 10 injured in Delhi Police firing. The situation remains tense, with reports of attacks on embassies in #Delhi @DelhiPolice”.
As of 2 November, the post had garnered 73k views and 87 likes.
Several other social media users also shared the video, linking it to the Dilli Challo protests. Another account, Clash Fire, shared the same video on 1 November, with the caption: “Disturbing reports from Delhi claim that four Congress workers were killed and ten others injured in policeace firing. Tensions are reportedly rising, with separate claims of attacks targeting embassies in the capital.”
Many users in the comments used expletive language and made political accusations. One comment read, “DIMAGI NAXALS u *****,” while another accused the account of operating on the INC payroll.
The first clip shows the watermark of a Television channel named Mohona TV. We conducted a reverse image search of the emblem of the channel, which led us to the channel’s official YouTube page. Since this account has been withheld in India, we used web archives to retrieve the page. It says that Mohona TV is a satellite television channel broadcast from Bangladesh.
We noticed a pixelated emblem on the vehicle; we upscaled the image and ran a reverse image search, which confirmed it matches the insignia of the Bangladesh Police.
For the second clip, we closely examined its keyframes and found a few useful geolocation clues. The footage shows a nameplate for the Cadet Coaching Centre written in Bengali. We geolocated this to the Mirpur 10 roundabout in Dhaka, Bangladesh.
Upon conducting a reverse image search, we found that the videos were related to a separate incident in Bangladesh. News reports carrying the same footage identified it as an incident in which readymade garment (RMG) workers staged widespread protests and clashed with police in Mirpur and other industrial hubs in Dhaka, demanding higher minimum monthly wages.
Additionally, Delhi Police clarified that the viral video originated in Bangladesh and was unrelated to events in Delhi. It urged people not to spread misinformation and warned that those responsible could face legal action.
Drone Protest Footage
On June 5, an X user named Kumar Bhartiya shared footage that appears to show a large crowd. The caption read: “What happened, Modi ji……? Did your eyes open up……? Blind devotees, don’t get angry! Questions will definitely be raised on unemployment, inflation, and voting rights! Ramlila Maidan, Delhi #RamlilaMaidan.”
The post gained around 35.6k views and 2k likes.
Many users commented on the video and flagged it as AI-generated. One X user remarked, ‘This is fake AI picture…please don’t get fooled.” Another user remarked, “This mob cannot give you one seat in parliament..This is fact… Public attracted through money don’t vote for you.”
We examined the viral image closely and identified numerous discrepancies. The image appears to show repetitive, unnatural patterns in the massive crowd, with little distinction between individuals. The details around the trees and stage also appear blurred and distorted.
In addition, we used AI detection tools to assess whether the viral photo was AI-generated.
The results estimated that the photo was generated using OpenAI tools.
According to the news report from Reuters, thousands of people joined the INDIA bloc’s ‘Chalo Delhi’ protest at Ramlila Maidan on November 1, demanding the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar over alleged irregularities in voter list revisions. Led by Rahul Gandhi, opposition leaders accused the Election Commission of unfairly deleting voters’ names, while the Commission maintained that the exercise was intended to remove duplicate and ineligible entries.
OBC’s analysis found that the viral posts claiming to show the ‘Chalo Dilli’ protests are false and misleading. The first video, which claims that four Congress workers were killed and ten injured in Delhi Police firing, does not show any event from Delhi. It is different footage from Mirpur in Dhaka, Bangladesh, where garment workers clashed with police while demanding higher wages, and Delhi Police have also confirmed that it is unrelated to the Delhi protest. The second video, which claims to show lakhs of people at Ramlila Maidan, is AI-generated footage, and no credible reports support it. Several X accounts amplified both videos with false context, spreading fear and distorted narratives about the protests.
