Protests erupted throughout India after the parliament handed a invoice that seeks to vary how properties donated by Muslims are ruled, however a video shared in a number of posts doesn’t depict one in all them. The clip first circulated in information experiences a couple of demonstration held by legal professionals in opposition to the revision of a legislation that may doubtlessly ban them from holding strikes.
“Attorneys are protesting in giant numbers by blocking the roads in opposition to the Waqf Board Invoice!! The slogan of the legal professionals is, ‘dictatorship won’t run on the power of MP, take again your devious legislation’,” reads the Hindi-language caption to the video shared on Facebook on April 5, 2025.
The blurry clip reveals legal professionals elevating their fists and clapping collectively whereas chanting in unison.
Screenshot of the false put up, taken on April 15, 2025
The footage within the false posts additionally surfaced on Facebook in addition to X and Instagram.
It was broadly shared after India’s parliament passed a bill which Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s authorities argues will enhance transparency to the highly effective Waqf boards (archived link).
There are round two dozen of the Muslim land-owning organisations throughout the South Asian nation, proudly owning some 900,000 acres (364,000 hectares), a multi-billion-dollar property empire that makes them one of many largest landholders alongside the railways and the defence forces.
Indian shops reported that protests erupted in varied components of the nation after the invoice was handed. Opposition events have criticised the federal government for pushing “polarising politics” on the expense of India’s Muslim minority of 200 million (archived link).
However the clip reveals a protest in opposition to one other invoice.
Unrelated rally
A reverse image search on Google utilizing keyframes of the falsely shared video led to the identical footage printed on the YouTube channel of HNP Information on February 22, 2025 (archived link).
“Lots of of hundreds of legal professionals blocked the roads of Delhi? The Modi authorities was shocked to see this! Watch it rapidly,” reads its Hindi-language caption.
The precise visuals might be seen within the footage after the 1:36 timestamp.
The video reveals legal professionals holding placards which say, “Dictatorship will not work” and “Take again Advocate (Modification) Invoice 2025”. Individuals can be heard chanting, “The federal government must withdraw this devious legislation.”
Screenshot comparisons of the video within the false put up (L) and the YouTube video
Nitin Ahlawat, a former head of the Tis Hazari District Courts who was current on the rally, instructed AFP the protest was held in opposition to proposed amendments to the Advocates Act and has nothing to do with the Waqf reforms demonstrations.
Indian information web site The Hindu additionally reported on the protests on February 18 (archived link).
The Ministry of Legislation and Justice said the amendments had been designed to deliver the authorized career and training in step with international finest practices (archived link).
However the authorities announced on February 22 it will shelve the invoice following criticism from legal professionals saying it infringed their rights to boycott or abstain from courtroom work (archived link).
AFP has debunked different false claims associated to the Waqf reforms.
