An old clip of a street theatre performance has been shared in social media posts falsely claiming it showed a supporter of a right-wing Hindu nationalist group being pulled out of her car and shot dead by Muslims in Kerala. The video has been circulating since September 2017, when members of the Democratic Youth Federation of India staged a street performance depicting violence “supported” by the same right-wing group.
The clip was shared on social media platform X on June 26, 2024.
Regarding the right-wing Hindu nationalist organization Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) and its political wing, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), the Hindi caption of the clip reads: “In Kerala, an RSS supporter was dragged out of her car and gunned down by Muslims in the middle of the market” (archived link).
It added that after the alleged murder, Hindus were warned that “anyone who supports the RSS and the BJP will face the same fate”.
The text placed over the clip repeats the claim.
The clip was shared alongside similar claims elsewhere on X like on Facebook.
But the clip is old and no actual murder is depicted.
street performance
A reverse search on Google using keyframes from the clip led to the same video posted on Facebook by “CPIM Cyber Commune” — which appears to be a reference to the Communist Party of India (Marxist) — on September 9, 2017 (archived link).
The subtitle of the video in Malayalam says a street performance is seen highlighting “the role of the RSS in the murder of Gauri Lankesh.”
Below is a screenshot of the clip used in the fake post (left) and the video posted to Facebook (right):
According to Local mediathe street performance was organized by the Democratic Youth Federation of India (DYFI) in Malappuram district of Kerala after the murder of Gauri Lankasha newspaper editor and outspoken critic of the ruling Hindu nationalist party, in September 2017 (archived link).
Syam Prasad, the head of DYFI’s Malappuram unit, told AFP on June 25, 2024: “The video is not an actual murder but a street play that was staged in 2017 in Kalikavu area of Malappuram. The persons seen in the video are DYFI workers.
“The play aimed to draw attention to violent incidents allegedly sponsored by the RSS across the country.”
The clip was also shared with the false claim it depicted a woman being killed by Muslims (archived link).
