Fact Check: Bihar election – Tejaswi Yadav thrown off by a horse in rally? No, video is AI-manipulated
A video has been circulating online with the claim that RJD leader Tejaswi Yadav was thrown off by a horse while trying to ride it during a roadshow.
By - Md Mahfooz Alam
Claim:The video shows Tejaswi Yadav being thrown off by a horse while trying to ride it during a roadshow.
Fact:The claim is false. The video has been manipulated using AI. The original video does not show him falling off.
Hyderabad: The Bihar Legislative Assembly elections are scheduled for October-November, with the exact dates not yet announced. The campaigning has been intensifying as parties finalise their strategies and candidate selections.
Amid the intensifying Bihar election campaign, a video from a road show has circulated widely on social media, showing RJD leader and former deputy chief minister Tejaswi Yadav disembarking from the party’s campaign bus and mounting a horse. The footage allegedly shows the moment when the horse throws off the Yadav, creating an unexpected incident that has gone viral across digital platforms.
Taking a dig at RJD supremo and father of Tejashwi Yadav, Lalu Prasad Yadav, referring to the infamous fodder scam, an X user shared the viral video with the caption, “His father used to eat horses’ fodder, so today the horse has taken its revenge.” (Translated from Hindi) (Archive)
Fact Check
NewsMeter found that the claim is false, as the video has been manipulated using AI. The original video does not show Yadav falling off the horse.
The complete video of the event was shared by the X handle of the Office of Tejashwi Yadav on September 18
It shows that after Yadav mounts the horse, the animal turns forward and walks calmly along the crowd, accompanied by security personnel with the campaign bus following behind. Contrary to the viral clip, the original footage does not show the horse throwing off Yadav immediately after he mounts, as depicted in the viral clip.
We also came across the same visuals of Yadav mounting the horse and riding along the crowd shot from a different angle, posted on X on September 17. This video also does not show the horse throwing off Yadav immediately after he mounts.
We also ran a keyword search and came across a report by Hindustan published on September 17. According to the report, in view of the upcoming Legislative Assembly elections, Yadav, who is on a Bihar Adhikar Yatra, went horseback riding in Mokama, considered the stronghold of strongman Anant Singh. Mounting the horse, he conducted a road show in Mokama, sending a political message to former MLA Singh.
Notably, Singh is known for his love for horses. He maintains his horses in a highly professional manner. Singh’s horse has been a winner in several competitions.
An anomaly in the video
We also observed that Yadav’s face appeared to morph into another person when he allegedly fell from the horse after it reared up on its hind legs. This facial inconsistency provided a hint that the video had been manipulated using AI technology.
Result of the AI detection tool
We also analysed the video using the AI-detector Deepfake-O-Meter, where two of its detectors flagged the footage as likely AI-generated with over 99 per cent confidence scores.
Hence, we conclude that the video has been manipulated using AI.
