A video of pro-Khalistan slogans being raised during a 2019 ICC Cricket World Cup match is viral with claims that it shows visuals of anti-India sloganeering from the ongoing farmers protest in Delhi.
The video shows a group of spectators raising Pakistan and Khalistan Zindabad slogans. They also raise slogans against the Narendra Modi led government.
Several farmer unions have launched a campaign against the Centre's brand new agricultural laws, which they feel will curb the minimum support price system (MSP). Thousands are marching from Punjab, Haryana, Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh under the 'Delhi Chalo' campaign to mount pressure on the union government against the contentious laws. They have camped in and around Delhi as part of the protest, which is on its fourth day today.
Users on Twitter and Facebook shared the video claiming anti-India voices fueled the farmers protest.
Punit Agarwal, social media and IT head of BJP Delhi tweeted the video with a caption in English which reads, "Is this farmer's protest ? Congress and AAP's anti national agenda has been exposed yet again. Both there parties are an equal or bigger threat than Pakistan to our country. For their cheap politics they won't think a second before breaking this country." The video has since been deleted.
Click here for an archived link.
Priti Gandhi, in-charge of social media, BJP Mahila Morcha, also tweeted the video with the caption "Raising Pro-Khalistan slogans and holding Pakistan flags at a #FarmersProtest?? Are these really farmers??" Gandhi later deleted the tweet.
The tweet is archived here.
Sudhir Mishra, writer and political commentator, also tweeted the video with a caption in Hindi which reads, "See the real farmers. They are raising slogans 'Pakistan Zindabad, Khalistan Zindabad'. Cannot understand these? If the anger is against the Modi government, then the sloganeering should raised against Modi, but they are raising anti-national slogans."
(Original texts in Hindi: देखो ये असली किसान- ये "पाकिस्तान जिंदाबाद" के नारे लगा रहे हैं, "खालिस्तान जिंदाबाद" के नारे क्यों लगा रहे हैं..ये बात कुछ समझ में नहीं आई ?? गुस्सा मोदी सरकार से हैं तो मोदी जी के खिलाफ नारे लगाना चाहिए पर यह तो "देशद्रोही" नारे लगा रहे हैं.)
Click here to see the tweet and here for an archived link.
The video is also doing the rounds on Facebook with a similar narrative.
Upon a further keyword search, we found a video news report by news agency ANI News Official on July 7, 2019 which reported about Sikhs from the UK denouncing pro-Khalistan slogans raised during the World Cup matches. The news report was titled as, "Sikhs in UK denounce pro-Khalistan slogans during World Cup matches"
The same viral footage can be seen from 0: 22 seconds of the video.
Below is a comparison between the footage seen in the viral video and ANI's news report.
An excerpt from the ANI News report reads, "Sikhs living in United Kingdom have categorically denounced pro-Khalistan slogans raised during the ICC World Cup 2019 matches in the United Kingdom. Several videos have gone viral on social media where some Sikhs along with Pakistani fans were seen raising Pakistani and Khalistan flags and shouting Khalistan Zindabad and Pakistan Zindabad slogans. It clearly indicates an attempt by Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) to malign India's image and use sports platform for its political gains. Cricket enthusiasts say that any message with political undertones must not be given entry to the sports arena as it only spoils the atmosphere."