Fact Check: Video showing arrest of a Kashmiri local leader is not related to Pahalgam carnage
Tensions between India and Pakistan are rapidly escalating after a deadly attack by terrorists in Kashmir, in which 26
Claim :
Viral video shows arrest of a local leader who supported the terrorists after the Pahalgam terror attackFact :
The video shows the police detention of local leaders protesting against Katra-Vaishno Devi ropeway, it is not related to Pahalgam attack
Tensions between India and Pakistan are rapidly escalating after a deadly attack by terrorists in Kashmir, in which 26 people at a tourist destination were killed and many others were injured on April 22, 2025. The anti-terrorist body National Investigation Agency’s preliminary report on April 22 terror attack confirmed the involvement of Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) and the Inter Services Intelligence (ISI) and Pakistan army in the attack with around 20 identified active Kashmir Valley overground workers providing logistic support to the terrorists. The Government of India is taking a firm stance against Pakistan and the opposition leaders have declared their support to the government’ decision.
Meanwhile, a video showing a leader being arrested by the armed forces in the middle of a street is going viral with the claim that it shows the arrest of a local leader for supporting the terrorists in Pahalgam. The claim in Hindi is “येकश्मीरकेस्थानीयनेताहैं, जिन्हेंआतंकवादियोंकासाथदेनेकेलिएपकड़करलेजायाजारहाहै..!!” When translated, it claims ‘He is a Kashmiri local leader, who is being arrested and taken away for supporting the terrorists..!!’
Here is the archive link of the claim.
Fact check:
The claim is False. The video is an old one from November 2024.
When we extracted the keyframes from the viral video and searched using them, we found a few social media handles which shared the same video in November 2024.
A YouTube channel named Jammu Links News shared the video on November 27, 2024 with the title “Katra ropeway clashes: Police arrest two labour leaders in raids”. The description of the video states: “Two labour union leaders were arrested in Jammu’s Katra following the violent clashes between traders and police after the former protested the proposed ropeway line from Katra town to the Hindu shrine of Vaishno Devi in the area.”
A Facebook page named Reasi Updates shared the video with the title 'Congress President Bhupinder Singh and his companion Sohan Chand arrested '
According to an article published on Greater Kashmir, two labour union leaders were arrested in Jammu’s Katra following the violent clashes between traders and police after the former protested the proposed ropeway line from Katra town to the Hindu shrine of Vaishno Devi in the area. The shopkeepers, fearing that the ropeway line would decrease the footfall in the market and consequently hit their businesses, they assembled and protesting against the move. The protests turned violent with stones pelted on police. Shopkeepers were seen beating a couple of cops as well.
Following the clashes, officials said, two labour leaders were arrested in raids across the town. They identified the leaders as Bupinder Singh and Sohan Chand. “These leaders led four-day-long protest in Katra against the installation of a new ropeway while the incident of stone pelting and L&O problem were also reported day before yesterday,” official sources told Greater Kashmir. Police have also booked many protestors for stone pelting and manhandling of cops including the area SHO, officials said.
Therefore, the viral video does not show a local Kashmiri leader arrested for supporting the Pahalgam terrorists. It shows the arrest of a labour leader who were protesting against the proposal of ropeway line from Katra to Vaishno devi shrine. This protest happened in November 2024. The claim is False.
