Fact Check: Viral video does not show Maldivian president Mohamed Muizzu being thrashed in Parliament

Hyderabad: The relationship between India and the Maldives took a hit after Maldivian President Mohamed Muizzu requested New Delhi to remove its military personnel from the island nation by March 15, 2024, after his China visit.

A video showing the clash between two well-dressed people is viral on social media, with users claiming that the Maldivian president Mohamed Muizzu was thrashed in the Parliament.

An X user shared the video. “Today, Maldivian President Mohammad Mujhhu was thrashed in the Parliament. Maldives’ economy has faltered due to hatred of Hindus and the boycott of India. Modi ji can get done anything anywhere (sic),” wrote the user.

Several X users have shared the video claiming the same.

Fact Check

NewsMeter found that the claim is misleading. The video shows the clash between two Maldivian Members of Parliament.

Upon a reverse image search of the video’s keyframe, we found the video on X, posted by the Maldivian news outlet, Adhadhu, on January 28. The caption stated in the Dhivehi language that it shows a fight between MPs in the parliament.

Taking this cue, we ran relevant keyword searches and found the video in a report published by India Today on January 28. According to it, a clash had broken out in the Maldivian parliament between MPs of the People’s National Congress (PNC), the Progressive Party of Maldives (PPM) — the ruling alliance and the Opposition Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP).

The incident happened after the MDP, with the majority in Parliament, refused to approve four ruling party members from joining Muizzu’s cabinet. The Opposition MPs were barred from entering the chambers of the ruling alliance parliamentarians. The report did not name the MPs involved in the clash.

The Hindu and The Telegraph, naming the MPs in the video, reported that during the clash, an altercation occurred between Kanditheemu MP Abdulla Shaheem Abdul Hakeem Shaheem and Kendhikulhudhoo MP Ahmed Easa when the former tripped and knocked down Easa.

The reports also mentioned that Shaheem had sustained injuries on his head when the two Parliamentarians fell near the chamber during the scuffle. Minority leader Moosa Siraj had attempted to stop the altercation. None of these reports mentioned that Muizzu was thrashed in the Parliament.

For further corroboration, we checked Maldivian reports in the Divehi language and found the same details as reported by the Indian media. Click here and here to view the posts.

The ruling alliance also issued a press release condemning the unrest in the Parliament. It mentioned the physical altercation between the MPs, not the attack on the President.

Hence, we conclude that the claim that the video shows Maldivian president Mohamed Muizzu being thrashed in Parliament is misleading.