Unrelated videos from India, Maldives falsely linked to demands of Nepal protests
- Published on September 24, 2025 at 08:08
- 4 min read
- By Akshita KUMARI, AFP India
Copyright © AFP 2017-2025. Any commercial use of this content requires a subscription. Click here to find out more.
"Nepal resounded with chants of 'Bharat Mata ki Jai' ('Hail Mother India'). They want to re-establish a Hindu nation. Nepal's youth want a prime minister like Modi," reads superimposed Hindi-language text on a Facebook video shared on September 12, 2025.
The clip shows a rally where people are holding India's national flag and chanting "Bharat Mata Ki Jai" and "Vande Mataram" ('Pray to Mother Land').
Its caption reads: "A very auspicious coincidence is happening, very soon we will get good news, now the voice for a Hindu nation in India is coming from Nepal."
Similar claims about Nepali protesters expressing support for Modi -- who, along with his ruling Bharatiya Janata Party, has sought to bring the Hindu faith to the forefront of public life since sweeping to power more than a decade ago -- were also shared alongside Facebook and Instagram videos on September 11 and September 13.
The Facebook clip is captioned, "See how the slogan of 'Modi ji zindabad' ('Long live Modi') is being raised in Nepal", while text on the Instagram video reads: "Modi's entry into Pokhara, Nepal is a Hindu nation."
The posts surfaced after deadly protests in Nepal that ousted the Himalayan nation's government (archived link).
The clashes -- the worst unrest since the end of a decade-long civil war and the abolition of the monarchy in 2008 -- began on September 8, sparked by a short-lived ban on social media and fuelled by anger at corruption and long-standing economic woes (archived link).
The circulating videos, however, predate the Nepal protests.
Sikkim flag campaign
A reverse image search on Google using keyframes from the video of people holding the Indian flag and chanting slogans led to the same footage posted on Facebook on August 12 (archived link).
Its caption says it shows a "Har Ghar Tiranga" ("Flag in Every Home") event in Sikkim.
According to the Sikkim state government, "Har Ghar Tiranga" is a national campaign that encourages citizens to bring the national flag home and hoist it in celebration of India's independence with the aim of instilling a sense of patriotism (archived link).
Local outlet East Mojo also published a video report of the rally on the day, showing the same signs seen in the false post (archived link).
Sikkim Chief Minister Prem Singh Tamang shared photos of the march showing a similar scene on his verified Facebook page (archived link).
Modi's Maldives visit
A reverse image search using keyframes from the video of a crowd chanting "Long live Modi" was in fact published on July 25, on a verified YouTube channel of national broadcaster All India Radio (archived link).
Its description says the video was filmed in Malé, the capital of the Maldives.
A similar video was also shared by ANI on X, which said that it was filmed during Modi's visit to inaugurate the Dhoshimeyna Building, the newly built Maldivian Ministry of Defence building (archived link).
The footage corresponds to Google Street View Imagery of the Dhoshimeyna Building in the Indian Ocean nation's capital (archived link).
PM in Bihar
The third clip, showing Modi waving to crowds as his car passes by, was previously posted on May 30 on Instagram with the caption, "PM Modi inaugurates the new JPNIA terminal—modern, massive, and made for the future of Bihar" (archived link).
The Times of India reported that Modi would inaugurate the airport terminal in Bihar's state capital Patna during a two-day visit starting on May 29 (archived link).
The footage also corresponds to Google Street View Imagery from Patna (archived link).
AFP has previously debunked other misinformation related to the Nepal protests.
Is there content that you would like AFP to fact-check? Get in touch.
Contact us
