Video shows Nepal uprising, not unrest in India's Ladakh

Published on October 2, 2025 at 12:24
2 min read
By Akshita KUMARI, AFP India

At least four people were killed and several injured in India's high-altitude desert region Ladakh, after a protest demanding greater political autonomy turned violent on September 24. But a video falsely claiming to show people occupying a government building in the Himalayan territory was in fact taken during the youth-led anti-corruption protests in Nepal.

"This is not Nepal, this is Ladakh...borders change, conflicts do not," reads the Hindi-language caption of a Facebook post on September 25, 2025.

The video shows a plaque being vandalised before the camera moves toward a large crowd gathered in front of a building.

Screenshot of the false Facebook post captured on September 30, 2025, with a red X added by AFP

The posts were circulated elsewhere with similar claims on Facebook, X, Instagram and Threads.

Growing resentment with New Delhi's direct rule over the territory and fears of losing livelihoods boiled over on September 24 as crowds took to the streets in the main city Leh, torching a police vehicle and the offices of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Hindu-nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) (archived link).

Initially police said five people had died but later revised the toll to four.

Modi's government split Ladakh off from Indian-administered Kashmir in 2019, imposing direct rule on both after cancelling the region's partial autonomy.

User comments indicated they believed the video showed scenes from Leh.

One user wrote: "The country will be proud of you our Gen Z. Remove BJP, save the country."

"These people should be made to pay for the losses. Please take action, PM Modi," another commented.

But the clip was filmed in the central Nepali district of Chitwan.

Nepal protest

Reverse image searches on Google using keyframes from the falsely shared video found similar clip shared on Facebook on September 9, 2025 (archived link).

"CDO office premises of Chitwan," reads its Hindi-language caption.

Screenshot comparison of false post (L) and Facebook video

A closer observation of the clip shows a flag of Nepal displayed on the vandalised plaque, while Nepali text that says "District administrative office Chitwan" is also shown on both the plaque and the building (archived link).

Screenshot of false post highlighting Nepal's flag

Similar visuals of protesters was also shared by Nepal-based media outlet Synergy FM on September 9, 2025 with the caption, "Vandalism at the administration office in Chitwan" (archived link).

Local media reported on September 9 that protesters ransacked public offices and buildings of political parties across several districts, including in Chitwan (archived here and here).

Google's Street View imagery of the Chitwan administration office in Nepal matched the building seen in the false post (archived link).

Screenshot comparison of the falsely shared clip (L) and Google Street View imagery of administration office, with similar features highlighted by AFP

AFP has previously debunked misinformation related to the Nepal protests here.

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