A video from Kathua misrepresented as residents protesting in Surat
A viral social media video of people damaging buildings and vehicles can be seen with claims that this happened in Surat, Gujarat. The claim also mentioned that these people were demanding for food or to be shot in the head due to the COVID-19 lockdown.
The video was posted along with a caption that read, “सूरत गुजरात में जनता सड़क पर, राशन दो या गोली मार दो नारे के साथ, देश के हालात धीरे-धीरे बहुत भयंकर बिगड़ते जा रहे हैं|” This translates to, “The residents of Surat, Gujarat are on the roads demanding for food or to be shot in the head. Our country’s condition is becoming terrible day-by-day”.
A Facebook handle named “Shams Jaunpuri” posted this video and garnered around 512 thousand views. It has now been taken off but has been archived.
Similarly, a Facebook handle named “CTV News India” posted the video and garnered around 191 thousand views, 5.7 thousand shares and around 1.1 thousand likes. The caption says that the residents of Surat have come out to the streets and are demanding for food or to be shot in the head by destroying things.
Several other Facebook handles have also posted the video.
Several people also tweeted the video.
Truth
The claim is False. Though several migrants have been protesting due to absence of food and money in Gujarat as the industries were shut down due to the lockdown, this video is not take in Gujarat but is from Kathua in Jammu and Kashmir.
At the beginning of the video, “Chenab Textiles” board was seen on the top right-hand corner. This video is of the workers of Chenab Textile Mills who decided to protest demanding full wages and tickets to return home. This incident turned violent on May 8 2020 and several protesters vandalized vehicles and threw items on the road.
News agency ‘ANI’ also tweeted about the protest and the similarity between the picture and the visuals in the video can be seen.
Jammu & Kashmir: A protest by Chenab Textile Mills workers turns violent in Kathua. Workers demand full payment of salaries. SSP Shailendra Mishra says, "They think that payment given by the mill is not sufficient. Also, they want to go home. Injured will be sent to hospital". pic.twitter.com/Thpq92MGmo
— ANI (@ANI) May 8, 2020
Also several media houses like ‘Outlook’ and ‘The Tribune’ have reported on the incident that took place in Kathua with the articles containing pictures similar to the visuals seen in the video.
‘The Tribune’ also uploaded a video on You Tube, which have similar visuals to the viral video but can be seen taken from another angle.
So, this can conclude that the incident did not happen in Gujarat but in Jammu and Kashmir.
