Fact Check: Muslim men assault Mumbai traffic cops for issuing challan? No, video is from Delhi in 2015

Hyderabad: A video showing two uniformed traffic police officers being assaulted by a group of men on a road is going viral on social media. In the video, the assailants attack a police officer, chase another police officer, push him to the ground and attack him too. Some men in the group can be seen wearing skull caps.

The video is being circulated with the claim that the incident took place on March 19 in Mumbai. A Facebook user who shared the video added a communal angle to the incident, urging all Hindus to vote for the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) as ‘the country is facing threat from within.’

The video was shared with the caption, “Today in Mumbai, when the police issued a challan, the Muslims beat them up. This is a challenge to the law. This video tells what will happen in India in the future. Who will lead the country? And what will be the future of everyone? The bitter truth is that the country faces more danger from within than from outside. Strict laws should be brought. Every Hindu should vote for BJP.” (Archive)

Fact Check

NewsMeter found that the claim is misleading. The incident took place in Delhi in 2015.

Using a reverse image search of the video’s keyframes, we found a video uploaded by ABP News YouTube channel on July 13, 2015, with the title, ‘Viral Video: Watch how traffic violators beat Delhi cops for performing their duty.’

According to the description of the video, the incident took place when traffic constables tried to stop three persons riding triple while not wearing helmets. The description stated, “But as soon as they were stopped, they started beating Head Constable Jai Bhagwan and after that Constable Manoj became their target.”

NDTV India also uploaded a video report on the incident on YouTube with the title, ‘Traffic police cops thrashed by angry mob.’ The video was uploaded on July 14, 2015. The video description stated that the incident took place after traffic police constables flagged down three men on a bike for not wearing helmets and riding triple.

The incident was reported by news organisations such as Deccan Herald, The Times of India and Zee News. The reports confirmed that constables Jai Bhagwan and Manoj were attacked for issuing a challan on July 13, 2015, in the Gokulpuri area of Delhi. The assailants identified as Shahnawaz, Amir and Sagir Ahmed were caught and a case was registered against them.

None of the reports mentioned that the assault had a communal motive.

The incident did not take place in Mumbai on March 19, 2025. Therefore, NewsMeter concludes that the viral claim is misleading.