Video from northeast India misrepresented as Modi supporters in Nepal
- Published on September 19, 2025 at 08:43
- 4 min read
- By Devesh MISHRA, AFP India
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"Modi's name is being hailed in Nepal too. A massive rally was held with his posters. Watch full video with chants of Modi-Modi," reads the Hindi-language caption of a Facebook post shared September 12, 2025.
Hindi text overlaid on the clip says: "Modi's magic is visible in Nepal too, Nepalese people are demanding a leader like Modi with posters in their hands."
The video shows a group of people marching with a banner that has Modi's photo. A Hindi voiceover reiterates the claim that it was taken in Nepal.
Demonstrations began September 8 in Nepal's capital Kathmandu against corruption and the government's ban on social media, driven by angry young protesters who dubbed themselves the "Gen Z" movement (archived link).
Clashes escalated after deadly police crackdowns, forcing the veteran prime minister KP Sharma Oli to quit as parliament and government buildings were torched. At least 73 people were killed and scores more injured in the worst unrest since the end of a decade-long civil war and the abolition of monarchy in 2008 (archived link).
Sushila Karki, the 73-year-old former chief justice of Nepal, was tasked with restoring order and addressing protesters' demands for a corruption-free future ahead of elections in six months (archived link).
The video shared online does not show Nepalese citizens calling for a Modi-like leader -- it was taken at a rally in support of the Indian prime minister ahead of his scheduled visit to the state of Sikkim in May.
Footage from India
A reverse image search on Google found a similar video shared in a Facebook post on May 30 (archived link).
Text on the banner in the video reads: "Sikkimese Limboo Tribes Warmly Welcome to Hon'ble Prime Minister of India Shri Narendra Modi Ji to the state of Sikkim".
A keyword search for "Sukhim Yakthung Sapsok Songchumbho", visible in blue ink on the banner, found a Facebook page by the same name that shared a longer video with similar visuals on May 30 (archived link).
The page administrators confirmed to AFP that the footage was filmed in Sikkim.
"We have similar videos shared on our page. A lot of locals were filming the march taken out in support of the prime minister," one page admin told AFP on September 16.
Similar scenes appear in multiple Facebook posts about Modi's scheduled visit to Sikkim (archived here and here).
By analysing features in the video shared online, including a red billboard on a shop and structures along the road, AFP geolocated the footage to the state capital of Gangtok (archived link).
A press release from the Sikkim government said Modi addressed locals virtually on May 29 to mark the golden jubilee of the state's accession to India (archived link).
Bad weather prevented the prime minister from attending the event in person, but he conveyed greetings in Nepali -- one of the official languages and lingua franca of Sikkim -- and promised to visit later this year. Local media outlets also covered Modi's remarks (archived links here and here).
Formerly a sovereign kingdom, Sikkim officially became an Indian state on May 16, 1975 (archived link).
AFP has debunked other misinformation related to the Nepal protests here and here.
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