Old video from a fair in Uttarakhand shared as 'stone pelting at Mahakumbh'
The Verdict False
The video dates back to 2024 and shows a tradition at the Bagwal Mela held in Uttarakhand.
What is the claim?
A video of two groups of people seemingly fighting and throwing things at each other is going viral on social media. Posts sharing the video have alleged that it shows an incident from the ongoing Hindu religious festival Mahakumbh that began on January 13 and is taking place in the northern Indian state of Uttar Pradesh's Prayagraj.
The video has inlaid text which reads in Hindi, "Visuals from Mahakumbh." Several social media users shared the video pointing out that men in saffron clothes were also involved in the incident. Archive to the posts can be seen here, here, here, here, and here.
Screenshots of similar viral social media posts. (Source: X/YouTube//Modified by Logically Facts)
Kumbh Mela is a religious pilgrimage that is celebrated four times over 12 years. It is the largest gathering of Hindus, where ascetics, saints, and pilgrims from all walks of life come to the holy confluence of Ganga, Yamuna and the mythical Saraswati rivers to take a dip.
However, the video is unrelated to the ongoing Mahakumbh fest and actually shows a tradition at a mela (fair) held in the northern Indian state of Uttarakhand's Champawat district.
What are the facts?
Through a reverse image search, we found a video posted on Instagram (archived here) by a user on August 20, 2024, claiming that the video is from the Bagwal festival. Another user (archived here) also shared it on October 9 with the same caption.
Newsflare, an online news video community, also posted a video from the fair on August 19, 2024, titled "Hit me with your best shot; Devidhura stone-pelting festival leaves hundreds injured in Northern India". We were able to match the banner, light posts, the arch-like structure, and other small details in this clip to the viral video. The website wrote in the description of the video that Bagwal Mela is a festival marked by throwing stones. Villagers of Devidhura celebrate the festival by engaging in battle with stones, sticks and shields, the description added.
Comparison of video frames from the viral video to video by Newsflare. (Source: X/Newsflare/Modified by Logically Facts)
We also found a news report by Hindi-language daily Jagran published on August 20, 2024. The report carried a few images from the fair which matched the viral clip.
Comparison of video frames from the viral video to images by Jagran News.(Source: X/Jagran News/Modified by Logically Facts)
They wrote that fruits and stones were pelted for around 11 minutes during the festival, which led to 212 being injured. ABP News also reported on the event and wrote that people from both sides attacked each other with fruits and stones. The game is not only a competition but also a cultural and religious tradition, the report noted. Eleven quintals of apples and peas were reportedly used during the ritual, according to The Times of India.
What is the Bagwal Mela?
The fair is organized during the preparations for the Indian festival of Rakshabandhan in the Champawat district of Uttarakhand. The term ‘Bagwal’ means ‘fight with stones.’ The festival includes four clans, known as Khams—Chamyal, Walik, Gaharwal, and Lamgadiya, who engage in a battle. Initially, the ritual involved pelting each other with stones, but later, in 2013, the court stopped it and replaced it with fruits and flowers.
The verdict
The video of people pelting things at each other is not from Mahakumbh 2025. It shows a ritual from the 2024 Bagwal Mela, held in Uttarakhand during Rakshabandhan.
(This story was originally published by logicallyfacts.com, and republished by english.varthabharati.in as part of the Shakti Collective)
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Trump says EU has until July 4 to approve last year's trade deal or it will face higher tariffs
Washington (AP): President Donald Trump has said in a social media post that goods from the European Union would face higher tariff rates if the 27-member bloc fails to approve last year's trade framework by July 4.
The announcement on Thursday appeared to be a deadline extension after the president said last Friday that EU autos would face a higher 25 per cent tariff starting this week. Trump made the updated announcement after what he described as a "great call" with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen.
Still, the US president was displeased that the European Parliament had yet to finalize the trade arrangement reached last year, which was further complicated in February by the US Supreme Court ruling that Trump lacked the legal authority to declare an economic emergency to impose the initial tariffs used to pressure the EU into talks.
"A promise was made that the EU would deliver their side of the Deal and, as per Agreement, cut their Tariffs to ZERO!" Trump posted. "I agreed to give her until our Country's 250th Birthday or, unfortunately, their Tariffs would immediately jump to much higher levels."
It was unclear from the post whether Trump was implying that the tariff rates would jump on all EU goods or the increase would only apply to autos.
His latest statement indicates he might be backing away from his earlier threat on EU autos by giving the European Parliament several more weeks to approve the agreement.
Under the original terms of the framework, the US would charge a 15 per cent tax on most goods imported from the EU.
But since the Supreme Court ruling, the administration has levied a 10 per cent tariff while investigating trade imbalances and national security issues, aiming to put in new tariffs to make up for lost revenues.
