Months-old videos misrepresented as showing protests by Indian students
- Published on February 4, 2026 at 08:17
- 4 min read
- By Sachin BAGHEL, AFP India
As Indian university students protested over the perceived unfairness of new rules aimed at preventing discrimination against marginalised groups, several videos were shared in posts falsely claiming they showed the demonstrations. The videos all circulated months before the student protests, and in fact show fans mourning a popular singer and political demonstrations.
"The spark of agitation against UGC rules seems to be growing in Bihar. Students protested in Patna, Bihar and blocked the Dak Bungalow of Patna," reads the Hindi-language caption of an Instagram video shared on January 28, 2026.
Similar text is overlaid on the video, which shows massive crowds filling a road.
It circulated as student protests erupted over new regulations from the University Grants Commission (UGC) aimed at preventing discrimination against marginalised groups, including those at the bottom of India's caste hierarchy (archived here and here).
Protesters -- mainly students from unprotected groups -- argue the new regulations may see them unfairly targeted and do not offer equal protection to all.
India's Supreme Court ordered a stay on the changes on January 29, calling them "too sweeping" and saying it needed to re-examine the matter (archived link).
Similar claims were shared elsewhere in an Instagram video from January 27 showing a crowd marching with torches and placards.
"Government should withdraw UGC rules," reads its superimposed Hindi-language text.
Another video shared in a similar X post from January 27 shows ink being thrown over images of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah, apparently in protest against the UGC rules.
The videos were also shared in similar Facebook and X posts.
While protests over the UGC's new equity rules have seen large crowds marching down city streets and within campuses, the videos circulating online predate the demonstrations (archived link).
Zubeen Garg procession
A reverse image search on Google using keyframes from the video showing a road filled with people led to the same footage posted on YouTube by lifestyle outlet Indiatimes on September 22, 2025 (archived link).
The video is titled, "Thousands in Guwahati Bid Emotional Farewell to Singer Zubeen Garg".
Garg died by drowning in Singapore, and his passing triggered a massive outpouring of grief among his millions of fans in Assam, where he enjoyed a cult-like status (archived link). Guwahati is the largest city in Assam.
In the YouTube video, the crowd can also be heard chanting the singer's name.
The road shown in the video also corresponds to Google Street View imagery of an intersection in Guwahati (archived link).
AFP has previously debunked posts misrepresenting the same video as a protest against vote rigging in Bihar.
Election fraud protest
Another reverse image search using keyframes from the video showing protesters holding up torches and placards led to similar footage shared on Instagram by the Chhattisgarh Youth Congress on August 14, 2025 (archived link).
Its caption says it shows a protest in Raipur, the capital of the central Chhattisgarh state, by supporters of opposition Congress party leader Rahul Gandhi.
A closer analysis of the falsely shared video shows the protesters are holding up placards and a banner reading "stop vote theft".
Elements in the video correspond to Google Street View imagery from the city (archived link).
Gandhi had accused the Election Commission of colluding with the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) to carry out voter fraud in the 2024 elections, prompting rallies by his supporters in several states (archived link).
The demonstration was also covered by the Dainik Bhaskar newspaper, which included similar video of the torch-carrying protesters (archived link).
Congress demonstration
A reverse image search of the final video showing ink being daubed on images of the Indian prime minister and home minister led to the same footage shared on Instagram on December 17, 2025 (archived link).
The caption says it shows Congress party workers protesting in Raipur (archived link). At the time, the party workers were accusing the ruling BJP of misusing government investigative agencies to target and suppress the opposition.
The video matches Google Street View imagery from Raipur (archived link).
The Dainik Bhaskar newspaper also used a similar video (archived link).
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