Photographs and videos are pouring in from across the country where the farmers are protesting against the farm bills that were recently passed in the Parliament. Amid this, a set of visuals are being circulated with the claim that these are from the recent farmer protests.
The viral posts show a huge crowd marching.
"This flood of farmers in Panipat is telling that the time for the final immersion of the BJP has arrived. In no time we will march towards Delhi, and we won't stop as much as the government tries to (Translated to English)," reads the caption of the post.
Farmers in several states across the country especially in Punjab and Haryana have been protesting against three farm reform bills — The Farmers' Produce Trade And Commerce (Promotion And Facilitation) Bill, The Farmers (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement on Price Assurance and Farm Services Bill, and The Essential Commodities (Amendment) Bill which were passed in the Parliament in the recently concluded Monsoon session.
Last week on September 17, Shiromani Akali Dal MP Harsimrat Kaur Badal, resigned from the Union Cabinet in protest against these three farm ordinance bills.
According to an Indian Express report, although the farmers are protesting against all the three bills, they are mainly objecting to the provisions of the first. Their concerns are mainly about sections relating to "trade area", "trader", "dispute resolution" and "market fee" covered under the first bill.
Claim:
Viral videos and photographs are from the recent farmers' protests.
Fact check:
The claim is false.
The photos and videos that are being shared are unrelated to the ongoing farmers' protests.
Video one:
A Google Reverse Image search for the video was done by breaking the video into individual frames using InVid.
The search led to a report by Zee News which was published on February 21, 2019. The report said that the video is actually of the Kisan Long March to Mumbai from Nashik.
The official account of the CPI(M) had also tweeted on the event with the same video on February 21, 2019.
Image one
A Reverse image search of the viral photo led to a report by YourStory which was published on March 13, 2018.
"Landless and Adivasi farmers marched 180 km to Mumbai's Azad Maidan, highlighting the distress the agrarian community in India faces and the pressing need for a radical overhaul of the sector," reads the report.
A keyword search based on this led to other news reports which carried similar photos, however, from different angles.
The photo carried by the Indian Express report which was published on March 12, 2018, was credited to photographer Deepak Joshi. According to the caption, the photo was shot between Mulund and Sion in Mumbai.
"The long march moves from Mulund towards Mumbai before reaching KJ Somaiya Ground in Sion on Monday. (Express Photo/Deepak Joshi)" reads the caption of the photo.
According to an NDTV article, published on March 12, 2018, thousands of farmers in Maharashtra had marched from Nashik to Mumbai, protesting against government's anti-farmer policies. Farmers had demanded a complete waiver of loans and electricity bills, and the implementation of recommendations of the Swaminathan Commission, which addresses issues of providing minimum support prices and safeguarding interests of small farmers.
Video 2:
A Google Reverse Image search was done by breaking the video into individual frames using InVid. This led to a tweet by News Agency ANI, dated November 30, 2018. The farmers' demands back then were debt relief, better MSP for crops among other demands.
The Logical Indian has debunked several such old photos which have been revived with the false claim that these are visuals from the ongoing farmers' protests. The reports can be read here and here.
If you have any news that you believe needs to be fact-checked, please email us at factcheck@thelogicalindian.com or WhatsApp at 6364000343.
Also Read: Fact Check: Did Adani Group Set Up Silos In Punjab As Soon As Farm Bills Were Passed In Parliament?