NT Verdict
False Context
Viral 'mega rally' crowd video is from a 2018 Lucknow event — not 2026
Original post on Instagram
RealIndiaNews24
Instagram · Reel
Instagram Reel
1.8M views
RealIndiaNews24 This clip shows a record-breaking crowd at a recent political rally in Uttar Pradesh
Apr 27, 2026
The Claim Being Checked
“This clip shows a record-breaking crowd at a recent political rally in Uttar Pradesh”
What NT Found
The reel was captioned as showing a 2026 UP rally crowd. NT's digital team ran a reverse video-frame search and traced the footage to an April 2018 event in Lucknow. The outlet watermark visible at 0:04 belongs to a Lucknow-based TV channel that aired the original in 2018.
NT Verdict
False Context
Reverse-image search and watermark confirm the clip is from April 2018.
How We Verified This
Step 1 — Detection
Content flagged after crossing 1.8M views on Instagram on Apr 27, 2026. NT's monitoring system triggered a verification queue entry. Assigned to Priya Mehta, Digital Desk.
Evidence 1
Google reverse image search of key frame returns results dated April 3, 2018
Evidence 2
Outlet watermark at 0:04 belongs to 'Aaj Tak UP Bureau' — traced to 2018 broadcast
Evidence 3
Metadata in the original file shows encoding date of March 2018
Evidence 4
Aaj Tak UP confirmed the clip in their 2018 archive upon NT's inquiry
Final Verdict
False Context — Reverse-image search and watermark confirm the clip is from April 2018.
Sources Consulted
3 sourcesGoogle Reverse Image Search
tool
Aaj Tak UP Bureau archive
media
InVID video verification tool
tool
How we verified this: NT's fact-checkers use reverse image/video search, EXIF metadata analysis, official records, direct source outreach, and where relevant, AI-detection tools. All verdicts undergo two-editor review before publication. Corrections published within 24 hours. Read our full methodology →
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