Fact Check: Gang punished for making caste-based violent threats on Instagram? No, it’s a film shoot
A video claiming to show police beating a group for threatening ‘Manuvadis’ on Instagram has gone viral on social media.
By M Ramesh Naik
Claim:The video shows police punishing a gang who threatened caste-based violence on Instagram.
Fact:The claim is false. The incident is not real. It is a staged sequence from a movie shoot.
Hyderabad: A video showing a group of shirtless men being beaten by uniformed police officers on a crowded street is going viral on social media. The clip, shared widely on X, is captioned with the claim that these men are part of the so-called ‘Bhimta gang’ and were punished by the police for allegedly threatening ‘Manuvadis’ on Instagram.
An X user shared the video and wrote, “Those who abused Manuvadis are now being educated by police. (sic)” (Archive)
The text overlayed on the video in Hindi reinforces the narrative, giving the impression that the beating is a response to caste-based or ideological online threats. The visuals, featuring police wielding batons, shirtless men crouched on the road and a crowd watching from the sidelines, have added fuel to online debates, with many believing it to be real.
Fact Check
NewsMeter found that the claim is false. The video does not show a real police crackdown. It is a staged scene from a movie shoot.
NewsMeter conducted a reverse video search using keyframes from the viral clip and traced its source to a YouTube Shorts video uploaded on April 15. The short description, partly mentioned in Kannada, available in this link, describes the video being part of behind-the-scenes footage from a film set. Actors playing police officers and others portraying shirtless men can be seen rehearsing and performing choreographed sequences as part of the shoot.
We also found an Instagram reel showing the same scene from a different angle, where a cameraman can be seen filming the sequence while several crew members stand nearby, managing the shoot. The presence of production staff and camera equipment confirms that this is a movie scene and not a real police operation.
The location, an urban street with auto-rickshaws, pedestrians and local shops, was likely chosen for authenticity, but the controlled nature of the shoot is evident. One can spot elements typical of a film production: coordinated action, repeated takes and the absence of actual law enforcement personnel overseeing the scene.
The viral video does not show police punishing a group for threatening Manuvadis. It is a staged sequence from a film set, not real-life footage. The claim circulating on social media is false.
