A video has been shared on social media showing black ink being thrown at farmer leader Rakesh Tikait. Along with the video, it is being claimed that a person threw black ink at farmer leaders Rakesh Tikait and Yudhvir Singh during a program in Bengaluru. In the viral video, black ink can be seen on Rakesh Tikait’s face and clothes.
Sharing the video, a user named Arun Bajpai Rajan wrote, “In a farmers’ program in Karnataka, farmer leader Rakesh Singh Tikait’s face and clothes were blackened by throwing black ink. The same Congress, at whose behest he had been dancing for several years, has now got Rakesh Tikait’s face blackened under the protection of its government.” (English Translation)
Another user, Another user, YogiAdityanathFan (Digital Warrior), who describes himself as a devotee of Godse, shared the video and wrote, “Oh, what has happened? There is currently a Congress government in Karnataka, so do even Congress members not take this seriously? Black ink was thrown at farmer leaders Rakesh Tikait and Yudhvir Singh during an event in Karnataka. Is democracy not in danger now? It will come.”an (Digital Warrior), who describes himself as a devotee of Godse, shared the video and wrote, “Oh, what has happened? There is currently a Congress government in Karnataka, so do even Congress members not take this seriously? Black ink was thrown at farmer leaders Rakesh Tikait and Yudhvir Singh during an event in Karnataka. Is democracy not in danger now? It will come.” (English Translation)
Fact Check:
The DFRAC team investigated the viral video and found that it is not from a recent incident but from an event that took place in May 2022, when black ink was thrown at Rakesh Tikait.During a reverse image search of keyframes from the video, we found the full footage of the incident uploaded on the Live Hindustan YouTube channel on May 30, 2022. The video was titled, “Black ink thrown on Rakesh Tikait: Ink thrown at farmer leader Rakesh Tikait, massive uproar ensues.”
According to the video’s description, “A man threw ink at farmer leader Rakesh Tikait while he was holding a press conference at Gandhi Bhavan in Bengaluru. The police arrested the accused. Farmer leaders Rakesh Tikait and Yudhvir Singh were addressing the media to clarify a sting operation video aired by a local channel when the incident occurred.”(English Translation)
During further investigation, we found reports published by News18 Hindi and Navbharat Times on May 30, 2022, regarding the incident. News18 Hindi reported that black ink was thrown at farmer leaders Rakesh Tikait and Yudhvir Singh while they were addressing a press conference in Bengaluru concerning a sting operation conducted by a local news channel.Similarly, Navbharat Times reported that a man threw black ink at Bharatiya Kisan Union leader Rakesh Tikait at Gandhi Bhavan in Bengaluru. Following the incident, a heated argument broke out at the venue, and some individuals allegedly threw chairs at one another.
Conclusion:
DFRAC’s fact-check clarifies that the incident of black ink being thrown at Rakesh Tikait is not recent. This incident took place in the year 2022. Therefore, the claim made by users is misleading.
