No, the photo does not show protest against Arvind Kejriwal’s arrest

By: Mohammad Salman
March 29 2024

Share Article:

Screenshot of the viral post.(Source: X/Screenshot/Modified by Logically Facts)

What is the claim?

Amid Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal's arrest by federal investigative agency the Enforcement Directorate (ED), an aerial view of a large crowd has been shared as protests against his arrest in Chennai. 

A social media user shared the viral photo on X (formerly Twitter) with the caption, “This picture shows that the end of the dictator is certain... People are on the streets against Kejriwal's arrest in Chennai (translated from Hindi)." The post has garnered over one million views; an archive version can be found here. Other social media users claimed that the photo shows protests in London. Archive versions of similar posts can be found here and here.

Screenshot of the viral post.(Source: X/Screenshot)

The ED arrested Kejriwal on March 21, 2024, in connection with the liquor policy case, a move that prompted protests by his party members and opposition leaders.  However, the viral photo is unrelated to Kejriwal’s arrest and shows a pilgrimage in Puri, in the east Indian state of Odisha.

How did we verify this?

A reverse image search led us to a website called Times Content, regulated by The Times of India. The viral photo was shared on this website on June 20 last year. The photo description reads, “Crowd of devotees during the annual Rath Yatra of Lord Jagannath, in Puri, Odisha."

Screenshot of the viral photo shared on Times Content website. (Source: Times Content/Screenshot)

Several articles from different media outlets, like NDTV and ABVP also report the image is from the pilgrimage.

The viral photo was also shared by Odisha’s Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik on his Facebook account on June 20, 2023.

Screenshot from Naveen Patnaik's Facebook page (Source: Facebook/Screenshot)

According to an article by India Times, Lord Jagannath's pilgrimage, popularly known as ‘Puri Rath Yatra,’ was celebrated on June 20 last year. The Jagannath Temple in Odisha is one of Hinduism’s four most important pilgrimage sites, and the pilgrimage is organized every year around June and July.

This is not the first time the viral photo has been shared with unrelated claims. The viral photo was also shared in January 2024, claiming it shows devotees at Ayodhya. We have previously fact-checked this claim; read our fact-check here.

It is to be noted that there were protests against Kejriwal’s arrest organised in Chennai. According to a report by Tamil Nadu-based news outlet DTNext dated March 22, members of the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK), an ally of the 'INDIA' alliance of opposition parties, blocked roads in Chennai under the leadership of Lok Sabha MP Dayanidhi Maran to protest Kejriwal’s arrest. However, the viral photo has no connection with this demonstration.

The verdict

The viral photo depicts devotees at the 2023 Lord Jagannath pilgrimage in Puri, Odisha, and does not show a recent protest against Arvind Kejriwal's arrest. Therefore, we have marked the claim as false.