Picture of huge crowd from Baloch National Gathering in Gwadar

Rating Justification

The iVerify Pakistan team has reviewed this content and determined that it is false.

To reach this conclusion, the iVerify Pakistan team conducted a reverse image search to find the original picture.

Social media accounts were sharing an image since July 27, 2024, of a huge crowd of people on a road, claiming that it was of supporters of a Baloch gathering in Gwadar. However, the picture is from celebrations in Mumbai following the Indian cricket team’s arrival after its victory in the T20 World Cup.

Activists and protesters gathered in Gwadar on July 28 for the Baloch National Gathering to address and rally against human rights abuses and the alleged deployment of security forces in the province.

HOW IT STARTED

On July 27, an account advocating for Baloch rights shared a picture on social media platform X of a huge crowd. The post used the hashtags “March against Baloch genocide” and “Baloch National Gathering”.

The caption said: “The most beautiful picture tonight at Gwadar port under the leadership of Dr Mahrang Baloch.”

The picture showed a long curved road jampacked with a crowd and a bus in the middle with vehicles trailing it.

The post gained 86,000 views.

The same picture with the same caption was shared by many other X users as well, examples of which can be seen here, here and here.

METHODOLOGY

A fact check was initiated to determine the veracity of the claim due to its virality, because it came amid an ongoing protest movement in Balochistan for its rights and because some users in the comments were questioning the authenticity of the image.

To investigate the circulated picture, a reverse image search was conducted which led to a post by an Indian user on social media platform Reddit, originally dated July 4, 2024, and titled: “India’s World Cup victory celebration”.

Moreover, a keyword search for “Indian cricket team’s victory celebrations” led to a July 5 news report by Indian media outlet NDTV titled: “In pics: Team India’s Open-Top Bus Parade at the Iconic Marine Drive”.

The report said celebrations were held at Mumbai’s Marine Drive, a three kilometre-long promenade along the Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose Road.

Among the many pictures of the celebrations, the one of the bus with cars behind it while the road is flocked by a crowd was also present. The bus was of the Indian cricket team as it travelled through the crowd.

FACT-CHECK STATUS: FALSE

The claim regarding a viral picture showing a huge crowd for the Baloch National Gathering is false.

A reverse image search confirmed that the picture is an aerial view of Marine Drive in the Indian city of Mumbai, taken during celebrations to welcome the Indian cricket team after its victory in the T20 World Cup.

Evidence and References

July 5, 2024, NDTV news report:
https://sports.ndtv.com/t20-world-cup-2024/photos/in-pics-team-indias-open-top-bus-parade-at-the-iconic-marine-drive-108017#

July 5, 2024, Reddit post:
https://www.reddit.com/r/Damnthatsinteresting/comments/1dvdgam/indias_world_cup_victory_celebration/