Fact Check: AAP leaders thrashed in Delhi over communal politics? No, video shows dispute within party

The one-minute video shows a man engaged in a heated argument with a group of people. The argument escalates into physical violence, with the man being manhandled and chased out onto the street. Some individuals, some wearing AAP caps and some without, can be seen defending him.

An X user shared the video and wrote, “People of Delhi started beating AAP leaders saying that the party is ignoring Hindus in favour of Muslim appeasement.” (Translated from Hindi) (Archive)

Similar claims can be seen here and here. (Archive)

Fact Check

NewsMeter found that the claim is false. The video shows AAP workers allegedly assaulting Matiala AAP MLA Gulab Singh Yadav.

Through a reverse image search, we found a report by The Tribune titled “AAP MLA Gulab Singh Yadav ‘manhandled’ by party workers in Delhi; purported video of him running to save himself goes viral,” published on November 22, 2022.

The report featured a screenshot of the incident captured from a different angle, showing the person being attacked and another individual, also seen in the viral video. Here's a comparison.

According to the report, Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) MLA Gulab Singh Yadav from the Matiala Assembly constituency was allegedly assaulted by party workers over accusations of selling Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) election tickets, as claimed by the BJP.

A keyword search led us to an NDTV report titled ‘On Camera, AAP MLA Gulab Singh Yadav Beaten Up In Delhi, Runs To Save Himself,’ published on November 22, 2022.

According to the report, the altercation occurred during a meeting at 8 pm between Yadav and AAP workers. Allegations of ticket sales sparked outrage, leading to the assault. The BJP claimed that the video serves as evidence of the AAP ‘selling tickets’ for the civic polls, leading to dissatisfaction among party workers—a claim strongly denied by the MLA featured in the video, Gulab Singh Yadav. Meanwhile, AAP leader Arvind Kejriwal dismissed the controversy as politically motivated, accusing the BJP of spreading false narratives to distract voters during the Gujarat elections.

Several BJP leaders, including Sambit Patra, also shared posts about the incident, featuring a video from a different angle.

Patra commented, “Unprecedented scenes from the party that preaches the theatrical drama of ‘honest politics.’ AAP’s corruption has reached a point where even its own members are turning against their MLAs! A similar fate awaits them in the upcoming MCD polls.”

Another report by The Times of India stated that Gulab Singh Yadav filed a police complaint against the attackers.

“I have registered a complaint and named some people, including my own party workers," the report stated, quoting Gulab Singh. He alleged that some of the instigators were influenced by the BJP. According to the report, the Delhi Police stated that Yadav was medically examined and no external injuries were found. They added that the incident was rooted in a dispute over ticket distribution.

Therefore, the viral claim that AAP leaders were assaulted for ignoring Hindus and appeasing Muslims is false. The video showed AAP workers allegedly attacking MLA Gulab Singh Yadav over allegations of selling election tickets.