A video of a spiritual flag atop a truck has actually been shared in posts that incorrectly declared homeowners of Bareilly city in India’s Uttar Pradesh state waved the flag of Muslim-majority Pakistan to commemorate the failure of the Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Celebration (BJP) to protect a bulk in the state after the nation’s basic election. The flag in the video varies from Pakistan’s nationwide flag, and the video flowed online weeks before the outcomes of India’s marathon nationwide surveys were revealed.
“Bareilly ended up being Pakistan!!” check out part of a Hindi-language post shared on social networks platform X on June 5, 2024.
“As quickly as Samajwadi Celebration won 37 seats in Uttar Pradesh, individuals from the peace caring neighborhood in Bareilly waved the flag of Pakistan,” the post continued, utilizing an expression that Hindu hardliners sardonically utilize to describe Muslims.
A video connected to the post reveals individuals sitting atop a truck waving a green flag that bears the star and crescent moon sign of Islam.
Superimposed on the video is a picture of Pakistan’s nationwide flag, and an individual speaking over the video states: “The Pakistan flag is waving in Bareilly, policemen are likewise standing there.”
The post emerged after the outcomes of India’s marathon basic election were revealed, revealing that the opposition Samajwadi Celebration had actually won more seats than Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s BJP in Uttar Pradesh — India’s most populated state and a bellwether for nationwide elections
It was the very first time in 15 years that the BJP had actually stopped working to win the most seats in the state, the heartland of India’s bulk faith that had actually formed the bedrock of the BJP’s parliamentary strength.
Modi will stay in workplace however with a considerably lowered required and requiring to count on union allies to govern.
The video was likewise shown comparable claims in other places on X and on Facebook.
However it does disappoint individuals in Bareilly waving Pakistan’s nationwide flag.
Not Pakistan’s flag
The flag displayed in the video is various to Pakistan’s nationwide flag; it does not have a vertical white stripe near to the hoist and the star and crescent sign deals with in the opposite instructions.
Below is a screenshot contrast of the flag in the video (left) and a photo of Pakistan’s nationwide flag from AFP’s archives (right):
Furthermore, a reverse image search of keyframes followed by keyword searches resulted in the very same video published by an Instagram user on Might 19 (archived link).
The Instagram post was shared more than 2 weeks before the outcomes of India’s weeks-long basic election were revealed on June 4.
An agent for Bareilly’s police informed AFP the video “has no connection with the outcomes” of the survey.
The officer stated the video is from a spiritual procession that occurred in 2023.
“The flag seen in the video is not the flag of Pakistan however relates to the faith of Islam.”
AFP has actually exposed more false information around India’s elections here.
