Fact Check: Old 2017 footage falsely linked to the Delhi protests.
Delhi: A video showing a man pinned to the ground and beaten by two army personnel has been widely shared on social media. An X user circulated the clip while claiming that the Indian Army had been deployed to suppress protests in Delhi and was assaulting demonstrators.
The post alleged that protesting in Delhi had become a crime and accused authorities of using force against protesters. However, the video does not show an incident from the recent Delhi demonstrations.
The protests against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar began on October 10, 2026. During the demonstrations, several protesters alleged that they were assaulted while in police custody. The viral Army video, however, is unrelated to these events.
🚨Protesting in Delhi has become a crime. #IndianArmy has been deployed, markets are being shut down,and protesters are being beaten. There is widespread oppression and brutality in #Delhi.
🚨This brutality is being carried out on the orders of Lieutenant General Rajesh Sethi. https://t.co/SJbwo956vz
— Anushi Tiwari Indian 🇮🇳 (@indiantiwari01) October 12, 2026Â
A reverse search of keyframes from the viral footage led to a longer version of the video shared by journalist Shahid Tantray on April 15, 2017. Tantray claimed that the incident involved Indian Army personnel in South Kashmir.
An Indian Express report published on the same date also carried a screenshot from the video. It reported that four Indian Army soldiers had allegedly beaten a student of Pulwama Degree College in Jammu and Kashmir.
A report published by Deccan Herald on April 15, 2017, also featured the footage and identified the person being beaten as a student of Pulwama Degree College.
The Indian Express report also referred to other videos from Kashmir that had triggered controversy at the time. These included footage purportedly showing a youth tied to an Army jeep and other youths being forced to shout anti-Pakistan slogans.
The then defence spokesman, Colonel Rajesh Kalia, said the authenticity of the videos was being verified and that action would be taken against those found guilty of misconduct.
These reports establish that the viral footage was circulating in connection with an incident in Kashmir in April 2017, years before the recent Delhi protests.
The viral claim that the video shows Indian Army personnel beating a protester in Delhi is false and misleading. The footage is from April 2017 and relates to an incident in which army personnel allegedly beat a student of Pulwama Degree College in Jammu and Kashmir. It has no connection to the recent protests in the national capital.
Claim: A viral video circulating on social media claims to show Indian Army personnel beating a protester in New Delhi during the recent protests against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar.
Fact: The claim is false. The video dates back to April 2017 and shows army personnel allegedly beating a student of Pulwama Degree College in Jammu and Kashmir. The footage is unrelated to the recent protests in Delhi.
