Old Clip From Odisha Viral as Protest Against Smart Meters in Andhra Pradesh

This clip dates back to 2024 and is from Odisha's Bargarh and not Andhra Pradesh, as claimed.

A video showing a group of men protesting while vandalising box-like items, claiming to be electric meters, on the ground has gone viral on social media.

The claim: Those sharing have claimed that it shows demonstrations against Smart Meters in Andhra Pradesh.

Some context: Hundreds in Vijayawada protested against smart power meters and steep tariff hikes, accusing the government and corporate partners like Adani of burdening consumers with hidden costs. Communist Party of India (Marxist) leaders warned of job losses, rising bills, and political backlash if the rollout continues unchecked, reported The Hindu.

(Archives of similar claims can be found here and here.)

Is the claim true?: No, the claim is false.

• This video is from August 2024. It shows a protest related to smart meters in Odisha's Bargarh.

What we found: At first, we ran a relevant keyword search and found that protests occurred regarding the implementation of smart meters in Andhra Pradesh.

• However, we did not come across any accounts of the protest featuring images from the viral video.

• The viral clip features a logo of Kanak News, a news media channel based in Odisha.

• With this clue, we located the viral video on the Kanak News YouTube channel, published on 17 August 2024.

• The video was released under the title, 'Angry Residents Break Meters In Bargarh: Claims Of Exploitation Regarding Smart Meter Installation' (sic).

• The description of the video mentioned that angry residents in Bargarh assembled outside the grid office, breaking smart meters out of frustration.

• They accused exploitation, asserting that smart meters set up in certain residences caused increased electricity costs. A resident mentioned spending ₹2000 for only two light bulbs in August 2024.

• Similarly, another regional channel from Odisha, Kalinga TV reported on this incident in August 2024.

• Other channels such as OTV also noted that in protest several locals smashed the electric boxes outside the electricity office Bargarh.

Conclusion: While protests against smart meters have taken place in Andhra Pradesh, an old video showing angry residents smashing electric boxes from Odisha has gone viral as one from the former.

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