An old video of a procession of Nihang Sikhs marching on horseback and vehicles has been revived on social media with false captions claiming that as many as 20,000 Nihang Sikhs from Punjab are on their way to Delhi to support the ongoing farmers' protest.
BOOM traced the viral video to November 2018 and found that the claims were unrelated. We also confirmed with an official at Budha Dal, Delhi (head section of Nihang Sikhs) that the video is from a procession taken out in Delhi in 2018.
Nihang is an order of Sikh warriors. They are recognised by their characteristic blue robes, decorated turbans and traditional weapons.
The video is viral in the backdrop of the ongoing farmers' protest which has seen thousands of farmers from Punjab and Haryana marching towards Delhi. The protest, which has entered its seventh day on December 2, 2020, has been taken up against the central government's farm laws.
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The viral video shows a procession of Nihangs dressed in their traditional blue robes, moving in a procession. While some of them are riding horses, others can be seen perched on vehicles or walking. The video has been overlaid with a song.
The Hindi caption with the viral post translates to 'As many as 20,000 Nihang Sikhs along with 2000 horses on their way to support farmers in Delhi. The lions of Punjab stand in solidarity with their farmer brothers'.
(Hindi: आज पंजाब से 2000 हजार घोड़ो के साथ 20000 निहंग सिंह किसानों के समर्थन में दिल्ली रवाना। पंजाब के शेर अपने किसान भाइयों के साथ.. )
View the video below and check its archived version here.
The video is viral from several Facebook pages and Twitter handles with similar captions.
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Fact Check
BOOM did a reverse image search on one of the key frames from the viral image and found a YouTube video from July 2 this year. The video has been uploaded on YouTube channel Fouj96Crori Soldier96Crori with a title Delhi Fateh Divas 2018 Budha Dal Nihang Singh.
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A keyword search with Delhi Fateh Divas led us to many such videos. One of them was the same video uploaded on YouTube on November 16, 2018 with a caption Khalsa Ki Shan.
We then compared screenshots taken from the viral video with that from the old videos on YouTube and found them to be one and the same.
Taking cue from the YouTube videos, we looked up for the Budha Dal on internet and contacted its Delhi office.
A jatthedar at the office refuted the viral claim of 20,000 Nihang Sikhs moving towards Delhi.
"The video is from 2018 when a nagarkeertan (procession) was taken out in Delhi on the occasion of Delhi Fateh Diwas. It has nothing to do with the ongoing farmers protest. However, if need arises, Nihang Sikhs might come in support of their farmer brethren," the jatthedar told BOOM.
We also found several news reports on Delhi Fateh Diwas. The event is celebrated in the memory of the unfurling of Nishan Saahib - the holy symbol of the Khalsa panth - from the ramparts of the Red Fort in Delhi on March 11, 1783 by the 18th century Sikh warrior Sardar Baghel Singh. Read more about it here and here.
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