Fact Check: Video Of Protest Against Union Carbide Waste In Madhya Pradesh Misrepresented As Samajwadi Party Leaders’ Demonstration
The protest in Pithampur, Madhya Pradesh, was against Union Carbide waste. During the protest, two people attempted suicide and got injured. Both are associated with the BJP, and the video is falsely attributed to SP.
- By: Sharad Prakash Asthana
- Published: Mar 19, 2025 at 02:16 PM
New Delhi (Vishvas News). A video is going viral on social media, claiming to show a protest by Samajwadi Party (SP) leaders. In this video, two people can be seen attempting to commit suicide during the protest. Some users are sharing this video, alleging that it depicts an SP-led protest.
Vishvas News investigation revealed that the viral video shows a protest against Union Carbide waste in Pithampur, Madhya Pradesh. The two injured individuals, Rajkumar Raghuvanshi and Raj Patel are associated with the BJP, not the SP. This protest has no connection with the SP.
What is in the viral post?
X user Jitendra Pratap Singh posted a video (archive link) on March 9, 2025, stating that it was a protest by SP leaders.
Facebook user Shailendra Nath Vishwakarma also shared this video (archive link) with the caption, “The leaders of the Samajwadi Party are still searching for that socialist scoundrel who secretly lit the lighter and ran away”
Investigation
Several users commented on Jitendra Pratap Singh’s post, stating that this video is from a protest against Union Carbide’s toxic waste in Pithampur, Madhya Pradesh.
Based on this, a keyword search led us to a related news article on the NDTV MPCG website on January 3, 2025, which also included screenshots of the viral video. According to the news, “A protest is going on against the burning of Union Carbide Corporation’s waste in Pithampur, Madhya Pradesh. Angry people blocked the bus stand area for half an hour. When people tried to go towards Ramki Enviro Industries (where the waste is kept), the police stopped them. During the protest at the main intersection of Pithampur, Rajkumar Raghuvanshi sprinkled petrol, then someone in the crowd lit a matchstick, due to which he caught fire. Due to this, Raj Patel standing with him also got burnt. Both the injured have been admitted to Choithram Hospital in Indore.”
This news was also found on Naiduniya’s website, published on January 3, 2025. However, neither of the news reports mentioned it as a protest led by SP leaders.
According to a report published on Aaj Tak on January 3, 2025“Poisonous gas methyl isocyanate leaked from the Union Carbide factory in Bhopal on the intervening night of December 2-3, 1984. This killed more than five thousand people and thousands were crippled. 40 years after the gas tragedy, 337 tonnes of poisonous waste from this factory was transported to Pithampur. Local citizen groups have started a protest demanding that this waste should not be destroyed in Pithampur.”
A second video of the incident was shared on Instagram by user ‘mr.harikeshdwivedi’ on January 3, 2025 showing Rajkumar and Raju sitting inside the police vehicle.
Member of Parliament (Dhar) Representative Dr Hemant Patel shared a news report from Dainik Bhaskar dated January 4, 2025 on his Facebook account. In the post, Rajkumar Raghuvanshi and Raju Patel are referred to as his comrades, and he expressed wishes for their speedy recovery. According to his profile, Hemant Patel is associated with the BJP.
Additionally, on January 24, 2025 a post was made from Rajkumar Raghuvanshi’s Instagram profile, showing him sending a postcard to the President under the One Lakh Postcard Campaign, which mentions the ongoing movement in Pithampur.
Rajkumar’s Facebook profile is also accessible, indicating he is a BJP supporter.
To verify this, we contacted local journalist Harikesh Dwivedi fromPithampur, who confirmed that Rajkumar Raghuvanshi and Raj Patel are associated with BJP and have no connection with SP.
He also shared Raj Patel’s Facebook profile, which further confirms his support for the BJP.
We scanned the profile of the user who falsely claimed that the Pithampur protest was led by SP leaders. The user, influenced by a particular ideology, has over 99000 followers.
Conclusion: The protest in Pithampur, Madhya Pradesh, was against Union Carbide waste. During the protest, two people attempted suicide and got injured. Both are associated with the BJP, and the video is falsely attributed to SP.
- Claim Review : This video is of the demonstration of Samajwadi Party leaders.
- Claimed By : X user Jitendra Pratap Singh
- Fact Check : False
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