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Sharing a video of a woman being held down and manhandled by police personnel, several Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) affiliated social media accounts, as well as former Member of Parliament Ramesh Bidhuri claimed that it showed visuals of the lady being mistreated amid the ongoing student protest in Jharkhand.
The posts targeted Rahul Gandhi and Chief Minister Hemant Soren, who belong to the ruling alliance in the state, calling the "inhuman treatment by the police towards a student... utterly shameful."
How did we find out the truth?: A reverse image search on the clip led us to a YouTube short carrying the same video, which was published on 23 July 2026.
The video predates the Jharkhand protest.
(Source: YouTube/Altered by The Quint)
Another YouTube short had shared the same clip on 24 July, while the protests in Jharkhand started on 25 July. This shows that the clip predates the protests.
Visual cues: In the video itself, the shoulder section of the police personnel's uniform reads 'Bihar', indicating that they are from the Bihar Police, and not their Jharkhand counterpart.
The uniform reads 'Bihar'.
(Source: X/Altered by The Quint)
Additionally, a road sign seen in the background reads 'B.P.S.C'.
The board reads BPSC, which stands for Bihar Public Service Commission.
(Source: X/Altered by The Quint)
Using these clues, we looked for roads leading to the Bihar Public Service Commission's building in Patna.
Using Google Maps' street view, came across a bridge resembling the visuals in the viral video which also showed the signboard, which was approximately 280 meters away from the BPSC building.
We found the spot where the video was shot, which is near the BPSC building in Patna.
(Source: X/Google Maps/Altered by The Quint)
Another video: A search for the protester's video across social media platforms led us to an Instagram video, shared by a page called 'mypdasamachar' on 23 July 2026.
In this video, the same woman was seen expressing her concerns and troubles.
The Jharkhand Mukti Morcha, which is currently in power in the state, also shared a post calling out the misinformation on their X account.
The JMM called out the misinformation.
(Source: X/Screenshot)
Conclusion: BJP-linked accounts shared an old video from Patna, Bihar to falsely claim that it shows police action against protesters in Jharkhand.
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