Fact Check: Old Video of Pro-Monarch Rally Shared Falsely as a March Toward Singha Durbar in Support of Ravi Lamichhane

Kathmandu: A video is going viral on social media claiming that a large crowd marched toward Singha Durbar in support of Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP) President Ravi Lamichhane. On Wednesday, Lamichhane had appeared before the High-Level Judicial Inquiry Commission formed to investigate the Gen-Z movement.

In this context, the viral video claims, “A large crowd marched toward Singha Durbar in support of Ravi.” However, TechPana’s fact-check has confirmed that the video does not show Ravi Lamichhane’s supporters but rather pro-monarch demonstrators welcoming former King Gyanendra Shah at Tribhuvan International Airport in March.

Claim

The Facebook page ‘Nepali Rajneeti News’ posted a video at 2:51 p.m. on Wednesday, claiming that a large crowd had gathered when Ravi Lamichhane was taken from Nakkhu Prison to Singha Durbar. The caption read, “From Nakkhu Prison to Singha Durbar for Ravi Lamichhane’s statement.” As of this writing, the video has been viewed over 437,000 times, liked more than 20,000 times, and shared over 1,000 times.

The accompanying text states, “Friends, today Ravi Lamichhane has been taken from Nakkhu Prison to Singha Durbar for his statement. It’s a matter of great joy. As Ravi Lamichhane was taken to Singha Durbar, a large crowd of supporters was also seen. People are taking to the streets demanding justice for Ravi Lamichhane.” Watch the video and screenshot.

Investigation

Ravi Lamichhane, president of the Rastriya Swatantra Party, who had been detained in Nakkhu Prison in a cooperative fund embezzlement case, forced his way out of prison amid chaos during the Gen-Z movement on September 9. However, after controversy arose over his release, he returned to prison. On Wednesday afternoon, Lamichhane appeared before the High-Level Judicial Inquiry Commission at Singha Durbar to provide a statement.

Although Lamichhane did visit Singha Durbar, no credible media outlet reported a large public rally or crowd marching in his support.

In the viral video, people can be seen walking with Nepali flags in the evening. However, Lamichhane’s statement was recorded in the afternoon, and the viral video was posted at 2:51 p.m. the same day. Since the video shows scenes filmed in the evening, it is clear that it was not from Wednesday.

Upon analyzing the visuals, the location in the video did not appear to be Singha Durbar but rather Gaushala Chowk. Comparing the video with Google Street View confirmed the scene matched Gaushala.

A reverse image search of a screenshot from the video revealed that the same footage had been posted eight months ago. On March 10 (Falgun 26) at 8:45 p.m., a social media user named ‘Gyan Prasad Pandey’ posted the same video on Facebook, writing, “All these people must be the paid protesters who were fed rice and petrol, right?” Watch the video and screenshot.

In the video, a man can be seen standing out of a black car’s sunroof, waving at the surrounding crowd.

When former King Gyanendra Shah arrived in Kathmandu from Pokhara on March 9, thousands of pro-monarch supporters gathered at Tribhuvan International Airport to welcome him. They accompanied him to Nirmal Niwas in Maharajgunj in a grand procession. Comparing the viral video with photo features published by Ratopati on March 9 confirmed that the viral video was indeed from that day’s pro-monarch rally.

Claim

A large crowd marched toward Singha Durbar in support of Ravi Lamichhane.

Claimant

Facebook page ‘Nepali Rajneeti News’ and other social media users.

Fact

The viral video claiming to show a large crowd marching toward Singha Durbar in support of Ravi Lamichhane is eight months old. The footage is from March 9, when pro-monarch supporters welcomed former King Gyanendra Shah at Tribhuvan International Airport and accompanied him to Nirmal Niwas.

Conclusion

The video circulating on social media claiming that a large crowd marched toward Singha Durbar in support of Ravi Lamichhane is misleading. The footage is from a pro-monarch demonstration eight months ago. On March 9, former King Gyanendra Shah returned to Kathmandu from Pokhara, where royalist supporters welcomed him with a massive procession from Tribhuvan International Airport to Nirmal Niwas via the Ring Road. TechPana’s fact-check confirms that the old video was used to spread misinformation by falsely linking it to support for Ravi Lamichhane.

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