Fact Check: Uttar Pradesh citizens do govt work, cover open drains? No, video is reversed
A video has been circulating online, claiming that citizens have taken it upon themselves to cover drains in Uttar Pradesh.
By - Md Mahfooz Alam
Claim:The video shows people in Uttar Pradesh taking it upon themselves to do the government’s work by covering drains.
Fact:The claim is false. The video has been reversed. The unedited version shows the burglary of the iron drain cover.
Hyderabad: A video showing two men unloading an iron cover from an e-rickshaw and placing it on a drain has been circulating on social media. Users are sharing the video as a jibe at the Uttar Pradesh State government, claiming that people have now taken it upon themselves to help the inefficient administration.
An X user shared the video with a satirical caption: “In UP, citizens are taking charge. They are helping the government by covering the drains with Solid steel gates. Salute (sic)” (Archive)
Fact Check
NewsMeter found that the claim is false. The viral video has been reversed. The original footage shows thieves stealing a drain cover, not citizens performing a public service.
Discrepancies in the video
We noticed several unusual elements in the video after two men allegedly placed the cover on the drain.
After the installation, both men walked backwards, and the e-rickshaw moved in reverse without a driver. These anomalies indicated that the video had been reversed.
What does the original video show?
A reverse image search of the video’s keyframes led us to the unedited version published by Times Now on August 3. According to the news channel, thieves stole an iron drain cover in Ghaziabad, Uttar Pradesh. They had also concealed the e-rickshaw’s number plate by blacking it out.
The original footage shows the two men removing the cover from the drain, loading it onto the e-rickshaw and fleeing the scene with one of them driving the three-wheeler.
We also found the original CCTV footage published by NDTV on August 3, stating that two men were captured stealing an iron drain lid in Uttar Pradesh’s Ghaziabad.
Several media outlets, including The Times of India and News9, also published the original CCTV footage in August, reporting that the theft reportedly took place in the Lal Kuwaan area near the Bharat Gas agency during the night of August 1-2 in Uttar Pradesh’s Ghaziabad.
Therefore, we conclude that the viral video is reversed. The claim that citizens are taking charge of public service in the context of this viral video is false.
