Hindutva men caught staging pro-Pakistan video to frame Muslims

NEW DELHI, India (MNTV) — Indian police say two Hindutva men orchestrated a video showing a child shouting “Pakistan Zindabad” (Long Live Pakistan) during a Muharram procession and circulated it online in an attempt to falsely portray the Muslim community as anti-national and inflame communal tensions.

The video, filmed during a Muharram procession in Khaikheda village in the northern state of Uttar Pradesh, quickly spread across social media, where it was used to accuse local Muslims of raising pro-Pakistan slogans. However, a police investigation concluded that the footage had been deliberately staged and did not reflect the procession itself.

According to police, two men allegedly instructed a minor to chant the slogan, recorded the clip from outside the procession and then made it viral with “malicious intent.” Authorities have registered a criminal case and taken the accused into custody while the investigation continues.

Police are also tracing social media accounts that amplified the video, saying the circulation of misleading content had the potential to provoke communal unrest in an area where religious processions often attract heightened sensitivities.

Residents of Khaikheda welcomed the police findings and alleged that the video was part of a deliberate effort to discredit the village’s Muslim community. Several villagers say the main accused had previously attempted to create communal friction during Islamic religious events by staging provocative acts.

Muharram, observed by Muslims across the world, commemorates the martyrdom of Imam Hussain, the grandson of the Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him), and processions are generally marked by mourning rituals and religious recitations rather than political slogans.

The incident highlights growing concerns in India over the use of manipulated videos and fabricated narratives to target Muslims.