Video claimed to show thousands at Delhi protest is actually of Owaisi's rally in Uttar Pradesh
A video showing thousands of mobile phone lights glowing in a sea of people at night has been circulating on social media, claiming that lakhs of Muslims took to the streets in Delhi at night in support of the student movement. Another post uses the same video to claim that the scene shows the area in front of Narendra Modi’s residence in Delhi. However, Dismislab’s verification shows that the scene is not from Delhi, but rather from a political rally in Uttar Pradesh, India.
A Facebook page named “Peoples News” posted a video with Bangla text embedded in the video stating, “Hundreds of thousands Muslims on the streets of Delhi at night in support of the student movement.” As of writing this report, the post had received more than 72,000 reactions and been shared more than 7,900 times.
The same video was posted in a group named “VP Shadik Kayem,” with the caption, “In front of butcher Modi’s house in Delhi, chanting Naraye Takbir, Allahu Akbar.” This post received more than 3,200 reactions and was shared more than 1,100 times.
Besides Facebook (1, 2, 3), the same video was also found on YouTube (1, 2, 3) and Instagram (1, 2).
By reverse-searching several keyframes from the video and using relevant keywords search, two different videos of the same event were found on the social media platform X. One video was posted from the verified X account of the All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) (@aimim_national), and the other from an account named “Anum Saeed” (@AnumSaeed497645). The description accompanying the scene in Anum Saeed’s post read, “Owaisi’s influence in Saharanpur, Uttar Pradesh.”
Dismislab analyzed side by side the video circulating with claims about the “Delhi” incident and the Saharanpur video found on X. At the beginning of the “Delhi” video, an Indian national flag can be seen flying above the crowd. In the video posted by Anum Saeed, the national flag is seen flying in the exact same spot, in the exact same manner.
At the 21-second mark of the circulated video, an illuminated stage can be seen in the distance. In the very first shot of “Anum Saeed’s” video, an identical stage is visible, on which the words “WELCOME BOSS” were written.
Additionally, near the beginning of the video used to spread the claim, a person can be seen standing above the crowd, holding onto a pole or structure, wearing reddish-colored clothing. At around the 47-second mark of Anum Saeed’s video, a person in a similar pose can be seen standing on a structure, also wearing reddish-colored clothing.
At the 21-second mark of the video circulated with the false claim, a flag can be seen within the crowd. Observation shows that this flag matches the flag of the All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM).
Although the camera angles differ, these visual similarities indicate that the viral video is essentially footage of the same rally held in Saharanpur, captured from a different angle.
Subsequently, through keyword searches, several reports from Indian news media (1, 2, 3) revealed that on July 18, AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi addressed an election rally on Chilkana Road in Saharanpur, Uttar Pradesh. The video is from that rally.
In other words, a video of a political rally held in Saharanpur, Uttar Pradesh, India, is being falsely claimed to depict an event in Delhi and a scene of Muslims protesting in front of Narendra Modi’s residence. It has no connection whatsoever to any student movement.
To clarify the context, a student and youth movement is currently underway in India under the banner of the “Cockroach Janata Party (CJP),” demanding education system reforms and the resignation of Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan over allegations of a leaked question paper in the national entrance exam (NEET). According to media reports, on July 20 (2026), thousands of protesters marched toward the Parliament building in Delhi, leading to major clashes with police. In protest against this police crackdown on students, the following day, Tuesday, opposition leader Rahul Gandhi led a protest march toward Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s residence.
