Video of huge Indian Muslim crowd demanding execution of Hindu pandit for blasphemy

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 keyword and reverse image search to investigate the video.

Multiple users were sharing a 30-second video on social media platform X on September 24, 2024, claiming that it showed millions of Indian Muslims protesting and demanding the beheading of a Hindu pandit for blasphemy. However, the original video depicts a massive gathering celebrating India’s victory in the T20 World Cup 2024 final against South Africa in June.

Indian political party All India Majlis-i-Ittehadul Muslimeen launched a protest march on September 22, demanding the arrest of lawmaker Nitesh Rane and Hindu seer Ramgiri Maharaj over alleged inflammatory remarks against Muslims.

Two cases were filed against Rane after he threatened in a September 1 speech to attack Muslims and a mosque in defence of Maharaj, who was charged with making alleged derogatory remarks about Islam and the Holy Prophet (Peace Be Upon Him) at a Hindu religious event in Nashik district on August 14.

HOW IT STARTED

On September 24, a user, claiming to be the chairman of the National Peace Committee for Interfaith Harmony and a PTI supporter, shared a video on X showing a massive crowd gathered on the road.

The post’s caption said: “Muslims in India are making history. Millions of Muslims have taken to the streets across India in protest against the blasphemous and accursed Pandit Ramgiri Maharaj. Their collective demand is that this accursed individual be beheaded.”

The post received more than 223,000 views and was reshared over 3,700 times. The post did not provide any relevant details, such as the date or location of the video, or the event it was associated with.

The same video was also shared by other users with the hashtag #ArrestRamgiriMaharaj as can be seen here and here with 11,500 and 164,000 views, respectively.

METHODOLOGY

A fact-check was initiated to verify the claim due to its virality and public interest, with some users pointing out in the comments that the video was from a different event.

Examining the viral videos showed they had the watermark of an Instagram account named “poojashukla3698“. Referring to her account yielded the video uploaded on July 4, 2024, with a caption inside saying: “Today marine drive Mumbai”.

A keyword search for “July 4”, “Mumbai”, “Marine Drive” and “crowd” showed various news reports from Indian media outlets saying that a victory parade was held on July 4 to welcome the Indian cricket team after their victory against South Africa in the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup final on June 24.

The parade was covered by Indian digital media outlets such as Hindustan Times, Financial Express, NDTV, ANI and The Print.

According to the reports, the city erupted in celebration when the Indian cricket team returned to Mumbai after winning the World Cup. Fans from all corners of Mumbai flooded the streets, joining a victory parade that stretched from Nariman Point to Wankhede Stadium along the iconic Marine Drive.

Moreover, different short videos of the victory parade were covered by Indian media outlets such as Cricket Next, NDTV and The Print.

FACT-CHECK STATUS: FALSE

The claim that a video shows a massive crowd of Muslims in India protesting and demanding the beheading of Pandit Ramgiri Maharaj for blasphemy is false.

The video actually shows a victory parade held on July 4 at Mumbai’s Marine Drive when the Indian cricket team returned after securing victory in the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup.

Evidence and References

July 4, 2024, Instagram reel:
https://perma.cc/DCB7-Y4TJ

July 4, 2024, Cricket Next YouTube video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P_C8TicDBVM

July 4, 2024, NDTV YouTube video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l9x4_k56LEY

July 4, 2024, The Print YouTube video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UGDKrR-txPA&t=50s

July 4, 2024, Hindustan Times report:
https://www.hindustantimes.com/trending/mumbais-marine-drive-turns-into-sea-of-fans-for-team-india-t20-world-cup-victory-parade-101720094527654.html

July 5, 2024, Financial Express report:
https://www.financialexpress.com/photos/sports-gallery/3544385/a-site-to-remember-fans-flock-to-mumbais-marine-drive-welcome-team-india-with-much-fanfare-see-celebratory-pics-here/

July 4, 2024, The Print report:
https://theprint.in/india/wouldnt-have-missed-it-for-anything-sea-of-fans-takes-over-marine-drive-to-welcome-team-india/2160982/

July 4, 2024, NDTV report:
https://www.ndtv.com/india-news/marine-drive-full-cops-request-as-lakhs-turn-up-for-team-india-parade-6033936

July 4, 2024, X post of ANI:
https://perma.cc/NZ2S-AKN3