2 months ago
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An unrelated video of a modified tractor is viral with a false claim that it shows a tractor that farmers currently en route Delhi for a protest, are using to breach police barricades.
BOOM found that video is not from India. The video is most likely from Türkiye, as a signboard of Çelik Akü, a company that has vehicle maintenance centre based in Türkiye, is visible in the background.
Thousands of protesting farmers from neighbouring states, including Punjab, Haryana, and Uttar Pradesh, are marching towards the capital with their tractors demanding assured prices for their crops and the implementation and legal guarantee of a Minimum Support Price (MSP) by the central government. This condition was assured to them during the year-long farmers' protest against the three farm laws that were rolled back by the government in November 2021. In an attempt to deter the farmers from reaching Delhi, police authorities in Haryana have reinforced the state's borders with Punjab in Ambala, Jind, Fatehabad, Kurukshetra, and Sirsa, employing concrete blocks, nails, and barricades.
The 13-second video was posted on X (formerly known as Twitter) by the verified handle Minni Razdan (@mini_razdan10) with the caption, "Does this looks like a preparation for kisan aandolan …? It is a brazen preparedness for War. And , Who is paying for all this expensive breastwork /fortification/parapet ..??? It is obvious that Khalistanis are in action again not farmers…!"
BOOM has previously fact-checked misinformation posted by Razdan on X
Click here to view
The same video was previously posted by the X handle Atulkrishan (@iAtulKrishan1) with the caption, "Dear Police, You will have to deal with this kinds of tractors this time during #FarmersProtest2024. Be prepared @DelhiPolice @Uppolice @HaryanaPolice27"
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FACT-CHECK
BOOM found that the viral video is not from India as being claimed in social media posts falsely linking it to the recent farmers' protest that is headed towards Delhi.
On viewing the video, after the 10 seconds mark, we can see a yellow board with the company name - 'Çelik Akü', which has several vehicle maintenance centers in Türkiye.
In the below photo from a Çelik Akü vehicle mantaince center in Türkiye, we can see the same company logo which matches with the logo seen on the board in the background of the viral video.
Additionally, we found several Turkish accounts previously posting the viral video on social media including on Tik Tok and Instagram.
The oldest post we found was posted on January 27, 2024, by the Tik Tok handle @cengizler_tarim_55 with a Turkish caption when translated to English is a line around hazelnut fields.
The Tik Tok handle, which is of Turkish origin has been posting several videos which have tractors on its feed.
The same handle name - 'cengizler_tarim_55' also posted the same video on Instagram on January 31, 2024, with the caption when translated reads, "Original video and owner is mine #agriculture"
BOOM reached to @cengizler_tarim_55 on Instagram, the article will be updated on if we get a response.
