A video showing a group of young men launching firecrackers at a building has been widely circulated on social media, with claims suggesting that Muslims attacked Hindus during Diwali festivities in Odisha, prompting a retaliatory response with firecrackers in Odisha. However, D-Intent Data’s fact-check reveals that this video is neither recent nor depicts communal violence during Diwali. It is actually an older video from 2018 that captures a confrontation between students at the VIMSAR (Veer Surendra Sai Institute of Medical Sciences and Research) hostels in Sambalpur, Odisha.
Sharing the video on X (Formerly Twitter) propaganda account @anitavladivoski wrote. “Muslims attacked Hindus celebrating Diwali. But this is how Odia Hindus retaliated. It was fun to watch! Terminator mode, activated”
Several other users, influencers and propagandists have also shared the video and made similar claims. Their posts can be seen here, @ocjain4, @SamVedYoGa, @Bhaskar_m11, @Vini__007, @changu311
The truth about the viral video related to firecrackers, Fact Check
As soon as the posts containing the video and claims came to our notice. Subsequently, we conducted research and analysis of the video and found that the video depicts a traditional rivalry between hostel students, not religious violence.
To verify the claims made by the users. We performed a reverse image search of some key frames from the viral video using Google Lens. This led us to a YouTube video containing the same visuals uploaded in November 2018. According to the YouTube channel the video depicts VIMSAR hostel students firing rocket crackers on the hostel in 2018.
Every year during Diwali, students at the VIMSAR hostels divide into different groups and engage in a firecracker war, launching skyrockets at each other as part of a long-standing, playful rivalry. This year, a similar video has emerged from the same location, showing students engaging in the same activity. The viral video is thus outdated and unrelated to any religious conflict.
Therefore, it is evident from D-Intent Data’s Fact Check that the video was old and unrelated to religious hate crimes.
2619
— D-Intent Data (@dintentdata) November 5, 2024
ANALYSIS: Misleading
FACT: A video showing a group of young men launching firecrackers toward a building has been circulated with the claim that Muslims attacked Hindus during Diwali celebrations, prompting a retaliatory response with firecrackers in Odisha. (1/3) pic.twitter.com/rksy9Nw0st
Intent
Social media users, influencers and propagandists are circulating old videos with misleading claims to set their narrative based on religion.
Conclusion
Claim– The video depicts Hindu individuals retaliating against Muslims, who attacked Hindus during the Diwali celebration.
Fact – The viral video is old and unrelated to religious hate crime. It depicts a playful rivalry between hostel students at VIMSAR in Sambalpur, Odisha.
Related Article: West Bengal targeted Ram Navmi Shobhayatra in 2024? : Fact
