Fact Check: Swami Avimukteshwaranand lathi-charged at Maha Kumbh Mela? Know the truth here

In the video, we can see some police officers lathi-charging Swami Avimukteshwaranand, and in response, he can be heard saying with his arms spread wide, ‘Mariye... mariye. (hit me, hit me)’

A Facebook user shared the video and wrote, “Look at the situation of a Swamiji from the Hindu community for speaking out against the BJP government.” (Translated from Kannada). (Archive)

Another Instagram user posted the video with the caption, “Look at the situation of a Swamiji from the Hindu community because he spoke against the BJP government.”(Archive)

Fact Check

NewsMeter found that the claim is false as the video is from 2015 and is not related to the Maha Kumbh Mela in 2025.

To verify the claim, we conducted a keyword search and found an article by The Indian Express titled ‘Varanasi stalemate over idol immersion: 30-hr resistance ends with post-midnight lathicharge’ published on September 24, 2015.

The report included a photo with the caption, “A follower shields Swami Avimukteshwaranand as police crack down on protesters who were staging a dharna demanding they be allowed to immerse idols in Ganga, in Varanasi late Tuesday night.”

According to the report, “A 30-hour-long stalemate and blockade in Varanasi over immersion of Ganesh idol in Ganga ended in the wee hours of Wednesday, with the police cracking down on the protesters, including some Hindu seers. The police got the idol immersed in Lakshmi Kund. Nearly 30 people sustained injuries, while 25 were held for violating Section 144 of the CrPC, besides rioting and stone-pelting.”

The report stated that Swami Avimukteshwaranand and 30 other protesters were reportedly injured in the lathi charge.

A Times of India report published on the same day detailed how police lathi-charged a group of Ganesh Puja organisers and seers who were protesting against restrictions on idol immersion in the Ganga.

We also found a video report by Aaj Tak, posted on YouTube on September 24, 2015. The video description stated, “Locals lathi charged over holding a sit-in protest demanding immersion of Ganesh idol in Ganga.” The visuals at the 1:08 timestamp were very similar to the viral video where the seer lifts his hands and asks the police to beat him. This confirmed that the footage in the claim is from 2015 and not related to the Maha Kumbh 2025.

Here is the comparison of the Viral video and Aaj Tak Video.

Therefore, we conclude that a 2015 video of a lathi charge on Swami Avimukteshwaranand is being falsely shared as a recent event from the Maha Kumbh Mela. The claim is false.