Misleading video of vandalization of solar panels recirculated accusing Congress workers 

A screenshot from the video.

A video has been recirculated on social media which shows group of people vandalizing solar panels. According to the text accompanying the video, the group of people are related to the Congress party and are trying to vandalize a solar power project installed by the Narendra Modi-led BJP government.

A Facebook page named “I Support Narendra Bhai Modi Bjp” had shared the video with a text, “Illiterate uncouth Congresses are damaging project worth crores by Modi Government … Then they say where the development is? We don’t get electricity #Terrorist_Congress … These people who are enticed by Congress have forgotten their own good or bad,” on Facebook. The video has been shared approximately 2900 times and gained 63,000 views so far.

Several Facebook accounts also has shared this video on Facebook. Three months ago, a Facebook user called Bhavsinh Mori, who claims to be a “BJP youth worker”, had shared this same content with an identical narrative. The post was shared more than 22,000 times and gained more than 6,67,000 views.

The same video was also shared with the claim that it was a handiwork of Congressmen and anti-BJP factions. It also blamed youth leaders like Hardik Patel and Jignesh Mevani for vandalizing the solar panels.

However, an Alt News probe revealed that the incident took place at a solar plant in Chalishaon, Maharashtra, in February 2018. According to Climate Samurai, which reports on environmental issues, the people seen in the video are the workers and labourers, who were protesting against the non-payment of wages by destroying the solar panels, as seen in the video. Alt News also says it had a conversation with Climate Samurai to confirm the same.