Pakistan-Based Accounts Push Old Police Firing Video As Jantar Mantar Protest Footage; PIB Fact Check Debunks Claim

New Delhi: The Press Information Bureau’s (PIB) Fact Check Unit has exposed a coordinated disinformation campaign driven by Pakistan-linked social media handles. 

These accounts have been actively circulating an outdated and completely unrelated police firing video online, falsely packaging it as live footage of recent protests and security actions at New Delhi's historic Jantar Mantar venue.

The viral clip, which portrays aggressive crowd control measures and purported gunfire, bears no connection to any ongoing demonstrations in the national capital. 

Fact-checkers verified that the footage has been exhumed from archival records of unrelated historical incidents. It is being deployed strategically to stoke public friction, amplify domestic unrest, and manufacture a misleading narrative regarding law enforcement activities in India.

The proliferation of this fake video coincides with heightened security deployments, traffic curbs, and political demonstrations across central New Delhi. 

Security agencies observed that cross-border networks and automated bot ecosystems frequently weaponise local political friction. By leveraging old videos, deepfakes, and manipulated audio clips, these actors aim to deepen social divisions and incite panic among the public.

In response to these persistent digital threats, Indian monitoring cells have maintained stringent surveillance across platforms like X. 

Delhi Police previously cracked down on hundreds of foreign-operated social media handles found disseminating malicious content designed to destabilise public order.

The PIB has issued a strict advisory urging citizens, media users, and public figures to exercise caution before sharing sensitive visual media. 

Authorities have emphasised that unverified content originating from unauthenticated sources must not be amplified. 

Security and cybercrime units are continuing their investigations into the network behind the latest upload, reiterating that strict legal action under relevant IT and penal statutes will be initiated against those caught deliberately propagating fake news designed to threaten public safety and communal harmony.

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