Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi made his first visit to Manipur in September since more than 250 people were killed in ethnic clashes in the northeast state troubled two years ago. But the posts affirming without foundation that it was welcomed with a massive demonstration unwilling from old images of Western Bengal.
“The inhabitants of Manipur have rejected Modi, RSS, BJP”, reads an article on Facebook in shared Hindi on September 13, 2025, using the acronyms of the Dure Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh group, the ideological parent of the Hindu nationalist party of Modi Bharatiya Janata.
“Now, it’s a sign of a mass movement like Nepal that takes place in India!” The post adds, referring to the fatal disorders that recently rocked the neighbor of the Himalayas of India.
The 16 -second accompanying video, visualized more than 132,000 times, shows a large crowd walking under a bridge with people who apparently shouted, “Voting Chor, Gaddi Chod”.
The slogan is reflected in “voted voting, abandon the seat” and is used by the opposition chief Rahul Gandhi who accused the BJP in the power to compel the elections by manipulating votes (archived here and here).
Screenshot of the false facebook post captured on September 23, 2025, with an X Red added by AFP
Similar items have also spread to X, Instagram and Threads after Modi’s visit on September 13, 2025 in Manipur, where fatal clashes broke out between the mainly Hindu Meitei and the largely Christian Kuki community in 2023 (archived link).
But there was no official report of a massive demonstration during the Prime Minister’s trip.
In addition, an inverse image search on Google using key keys found the video previously published on YouTube by the content of content Trisha Roy on April 14, 2025 (archived link).
“Kolkata Waqf Bill Protests. Location: near the NRS hospital, Kolkata (April 14, 2025)”, reads the legend.
Comparison of screenshot of the false post (L) and the video shared on YouTube
Burning demonstrations broke out in the state of Western Bengal in April on the WAQF bill, legislation to change the management of properties belonging to Muslims (archived link).
According to the Hindu Nationalist Government in power, it will strengthen transparency around land management by holding powerful Waqf advice, which control the properties offered by Muslim benefits.
But the opposition called the polarizing “attack” bill against the Muslim minority of India.
AFP contacted Trisha Roy who said that the video, also published on his Instagram account, received a “completely different context” (archived link).
“My video is being re-died by others with false / modified legends and a edited sound,” she added. Although the audio of the original is not clear, it does not present the people who sing, “vote Chor, Gaddi Chod”.
The location of the video corresponds to Google Maps Street Imagery of the NRS Medical College and Hospital of Capital Kolkata of Western Bengal, confirming that it has not been filmed in Manipur as pretended by false articles (archived link).
Comparison of screenshot of the wrong clip (L) and its location on Google Maps, with corresponding features highlighted by AFP
AFP has demystified other false complaints related to WAQF reforms.
