Amid reports of a stampede at the Prayagraj Maha Kumbh, a video of police lathicharge has gone viral on social media, sparking criticism of the UP government. Many users claim that the video shows UP Police brutally beating devotees who are on their way to take a holy dip.
At the beginning of the video, a policeman is seen striking a man on the road with a stick. Later, another officer is seen beating a man standing among a group of women who try to shield him. Similar scenes follow, with officers using force on multiple individuals. Towards the end of the clip, a woman can be heard saying that the police are tormenting people instead of helping them.
A Facebook user posted the viral post with the following caption:
*उतर प्रदेश पुलिस कुछ इस तरह स्वागत करती हुई नजर आ रही है*
महाकुंभ स्नान मे स्नानार्थी का इस तरह उत्तर प्रदेश पुलिस स्वागत करती है l ये है उत्तर प्रदेश सरकार का महाकुंभ व्यवस्था गुंडाराज ‘
(English version: *Uttar Pradesh Police seems to be welcoming something like this*
This is how Uttar Pradesh police welcomes the snanarthi in Maha Kumbh bath. This is the Maha Kumbh system of Uttar Pradesh government, Gundaraj.)
You can check the post here
FACT CHECK
NewsMobile fact-checked the viral post, and found the claims to be false.
A Reverse Image Search of the viral video keyframes led NewsMobile to an X post by BJP Rajya Sabha MP from Jharkhand, Deepak Prakash, dated January 2, 2025. The viral clip has been attached to this X handle with a caption: “See what you get when you demand justice in Jharkhand!” Since the Prayagraj Maha Kumbh began on January 13, it is obvious that the the widely circulated video’s claim is not true.
A Facebook page, Birsa Bharat 24, also shared the video, stating that the incident took place in Dhanbad during protests over the murder of a man named Ravi Rai. The post claimed that police resorted to lathicharge on people demanding justice for the victim.
According to another report by ETV Bharat, dated January 1, the body of Ravi Kumar Rai was found in Vikas Nagar, within the jurisdiction of the Bank More police station in Dhanbad. His family alleged he was murdered. Following the discovery of his body, protests erupted near the Bank More police station, with demonstrators burning tires and engaging in arson. Despite repeated attempts by the police to calm the situation, tensions escalated, leading to a lathicharge to disperse the crowd.
Ravi and one Akash had a dispute. During the altercation, both fell into a drain while running. And Akash allegedly held Ravi’s head underwater, leading to his death, adds Prabhat Khabar, a daily Hindi newspaper.
Therefore, we can conclusively say that the viral clip, claiming to show UP police brutally beating Kumbh devotees on their way to take a holy dip, is false.
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