Old, Unrelated Video of People Pelting Stones at Bus Falsely Linked to Karnataka

We found that neither the viral video is recent nor was it recorded in Karnataka.

Fact-Check | This video is old and is being shared on the internet with a false claim.

(Photo: Altered by The Quint)

A video showing several people wearing skull caps and throwing stones at a bus is being shared on social media platforms as a recent incident from Karnataka.

What are users claiming?: The viral video's caption mentioned, "A Muslim lady wanted the government bus to stop in front of her house, the driver stopped at the bus stop. The result of it can be seen in the above video, this is our karnataka (sic)."

An archive of the post can be found here.

(Source: Facebook/Screenshot)

The video has been shared on multiple social media platforms, such as X (formerly Twitter) and Facebook. Archives of such posts can be found here, here, and here.

Are these claims true?: Neither is this incident recent nor is it from Karnataka. The viral video, which is being given a misleading context, has been online since at least July 2019 and is actually from Gujarat's Surat.

What led us to the truth?: We noticed the word "Sitilink" written on the back end of the bus. For the unversed, Sitlink or Surat Bus Transit System is a public transport system that has been operation since 2014.

The vehicle had the word "Sitilink" written on it.

(Photo: Viral video/Screenshot/Altered by The Quint)

• Taking a cue for this, we performed a keyword search on YouTube using the words "pelting stones at buses surat."

• This led us to a report carrying similar visuals, which was shared on the official channel of TV9 Gujarati.

• It was published on 5 July 2019 and its caption said, "Rally against mob lynching incidents turns violent in Surat, stones pelted on buses."

News reports: A report published in Times of India said that rally was organised to protest against mob lynching in different parts of the country. Thousands of Muslims participated in the rally, which was organised by Versatile Minorities Forum.

• Several people became violent, when they were not allowed to proceed beyond Makkai Pool.

• This led to some people pelting stones at the police and targeting a city bus.

• Five policemen were injured in the incident.

The report was published on 6 July 2019.

(Source: TOI/Screenshot)

A recurring theme: Team WebQoof has debunked the same video multiple times in the past, when it was falsely linked to Mumbai and Haryana. You can read the stories here and here.

Conclusion: The video is old and does not show people pelting stones at a bus after its driver refused to stop the vehicle in front of a Muslim woman's house in Karnataka.

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