Fact Check: Balochistan people hoist Indian flag, declare independence from Pakistan? No, video is from Surat

Hyderabad: A video is going viral on social media claiming to show people hoisting the Indian flag and singing the national anthem as Balochistan declares independence from Pakistan following Operation Sindoor.

A large crowd can be seen in the video taking part in a procession. They are holding the Indian flag, accompanied by a band playing the song ‘Saare Jahan Se Achcha’ on instruments. The text on the video reads, “Balochi Liberation”.

The video was shared on Facebook with the caption, “With the courage given by Operation Sindhur, Beluchistan became an independent country and became a national anthem with gratitude and singing the national anthem with gratitude. (sic)”

The same text was written in Tamil and Telugu. (Archive)

Fact Check

Newsmeter found that the claim is false. The video shows the Tiranga Yatra organised by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in Gujarat’s Surat. The video is not from Balochistan.

Regarding Balochistan’s call for independence from Pakistan, we found an India Today article, dated May 9, titled ‘Baloch writer claims independence from Pak, urges UN for recognition.’ According to the article, amid rising tensions between India and Pakistan, renowned Baloch writer, Mir Yar Baloch, claimed that Balochistan has gained independence from Pakistan. He has called on the Indian government to allow the opening of a Baloch embassy in New Delhi.

“Mir Yar Baloch, known for advocating for the Baloch people, made announcement in a series of posts on social media platform X. He urged the United Nations to send peacekeeping forces to Balochistan and demanded that the Pakistani army leave the region,” added the report.

However, we did not find any recent reports stating that people in Balochistan have organised rallies holding the Indian national flag while singing ‘Saare Jahan Se Accha’.

An important point that the viral claim got wrong is about the Indian national anthem. The Indian national anthem is ‘Jana Gana Mana’, composed in Bangla by Rabindranath Tagore. Whereas, the Indian national song is ‘Vande Mataram’, composed in Sanskrit by Bankimchandra Chatterjee. Although ‘Saare Jahan Se Accha’ is revered as a patriotic song in the country, it is neither the national anthem nor national song.

To determine the location in the video, we checked it for clues.

In the video, ‘Saifee Scouts Surat’ is written on the musical instruments carried by the band members. The band members were wearing a uniform consisting of a white shirt, Khaki trousers with a green insignia on the shirt.

Using keyword searches, we found a video shared by an Instagram account called ‘Saifee Scouts Surat’. In this video too, the band members are seen wearing the same uniform with the green insignia. The video was uploaded on May 15, and the caption reads, “Tiranga Yatra Surat 2025. Band Performance by @saifeescoutsurat.”

The viral video also featured a banner with prime minister Narendra Modi’s picture at several places. It says ‘Operation Sindoor’ in English and ‘Tiranga Yatra’ in Gujarati.

Gujarat First news published a story on May 14 with the headline ‘Tiranga Yatra: Tiranga Yatra celebrated with huge crowds in Gandhinagar, Surat and Rajkot.’ The report stated that after the success of Operation Sindoor, the BJP organised a Tiranga Yatra across the country. The Tiranga Yatra was organised in Surat on May 14.

“The Tiranga Yatra started from the Bhagal area by BJP state president and Union Minister for Jal Shakti C.R. Patil. The yatra ended at the Chowk Bazaar junction,” it said.

The Indian Express published an article on May 15 titled ‘Slogans hailing Indian Army ring out in Surat as Tiranga Yatra held.’ The report stated, “A highlight of the event was music bands of Saifee Scout Surat, which belongs to the Dawoodi Bohra community, seen leading the yatra from Bhagal crossroads.”

Using this lead, we searched on Google Maps to find the exact location where the viral video was shot. We found that the viral video shows the Minaret Majeed junction on the Chowk Bazaar road in Surat.

We also contacted Saifee Scouts Surat who confirmed that the viral video was taken during a recent Tiranga Yatra in Surat. “The Tiranga Yatra was organised in honour of our soldiers who fought bravely in Operation Sindoor. Union Minister CR Patil also attended the yatra,” Ali Asghar, a member of Saifee Scouts Surat told NewsMeter.

Therefore, we conclude that the viral video shows the Tiranga Yatra organised by the BJP in Surat, Gujarat, on May 14. It does not show the Indian national flag being hoisted in Balochistan.