A viral video showing police action against protesters in Tirupati, Andhra Pradesh, was falsely shared as footage of Delhi Police acting against demonstrators during the 2026 BRICS Summit. Fact checks found that the video was recorded during a paramedical students’ protest in Tirupati on September 12.
Viral video falsely linked to Delhi Police
The viral video being circulated on social media does not show Delhi Police action during the BRICS Summit. Fact-checking organisations BOOM, Newschecker, The Quint and Fact Crescendo traced the footage to Tirupati in Andhra Pradesh.
The video shows police personnel dealing with protesters, including footage of a woman being pulled during a confrontation. Posts sharing the clip claimed that Delhi Police had used force against young protesters near the BRICS Summit venue in New Delhi.
The claim gained attention because the video circulated shortly after the 18th BRICS Summit was held in Delhi on September 12 and 13, 2026. However, the footage itself was unrelated to the international summit.
The incident shown in the video took place in Tirupati, where paramedical students and student representatives had gathered for a protest over their demands.
Tirupati protest involved paramedical students
According to the fact checks, the original incident occurred at Garuda Circle in the Alipiri area of Tirupati on September 12.
The protesters included interns studying BSc Medical Laboratory Technology and students from other allied health science courses. Student-union representatives were also present.
The students were protesting against mandatory 12-hour hospital shifts and demanding payment of pending monthly stipends. Reports cited by the fact-checking organisations said the students were seeking a monthly stipend of ₹15,000.
The protest reportedly became tense after police arrived to disperse the gathering. Videos recorded during the confrontation later circulated widely online.
BOOM found that a longer version of the footage had been published by Deccan Herald, identifying the incident as a protest by paramedical students in Tirupati. Times of India also published coverage of the incident on September 13.
What the original video actually shows
The central footage shows police personnel and protesters during the Tirupati demonstration. One part of the video shows a woman protester being pulled during the confrontation.
Some social media posts described the footage as showing a woman being dragged by her hair by Delhi Police during the BRICS Summit.
Fact-checking investigations found that description was misleading because the incident took place in Andhra Pradesh, not Delhi.
There is also an important detail regarding how the confrontation was described. Newschecker reported that Tirupati Additional Superintendent of Police Ravi Manoharachary said the woman was pulled by her hand and that her hair became caught around the hand, making the incident appear different in the circulating footage.
The woman’s own account was also examined by The Quint. She reportedly said that a female constable was pulling her by the hand and that her hair became caught in the process. She disputed the social media description that specifically portrayed the incident as her hair being pulled.
Why the BRICS connection was incorrect
The misleading posts appeared around the same time as the 18th BRICS Summit in New Delhi, which created a connection between two unrelated events.
The BRICS Summit took place at Bharat Mandapam in New Delhi on September 12 and 13. The Tirupati protest also took place on September 12, but there is no evidence that the video was recorded in Delhi or was connected to the summit.
BOOM, Newschecker and Fact Crescendo independently traced the footage to the Tirupati protest.
The same footage was also found in reports and social media posts published around the date of the Tirupati incident. This provided a timeline showing that the video existed in connection with the Andhra Pradesh protest before it was later presented with the Delhi and BRICS-related claim.
This is a common form of misinformation in which genuine footage is given a false location or context rather than being completely fabricated.
How fact checkers traced the Tirupati footage
The investigations used reverse image search and comparisons with earlier uploads of the same video.
Newschecker said keyframes from the viral video were searched and led investigators to a longer version published by Deccan Herald. The publication identified the footage as being from the Tirupati protest.
Fact Crescendo similarly reported that a reverse image search led to the Deccan Herald version and then cross-checked the details with a Times of India report from September 13.
The Quint also traced the footage through a reverse image search and found an Instagram post from Deccan Herald carrying the same visuals. A longer version was also available through Telugu news coverage.
These checks are significant because the video itself is genuine. The misinformation came from attaching a false location and event to the footage.
Tirupati protest and police action
The fact check does not mean that the Tirupati incident itself did not happen. Rather, it establishes that the incident shown in the viral video was from Tirupati and not from the BRICS Summit in Delhi.
Reports said the protest concerned working conditions and unpaid stipends for paramedical students. The students objected to mandatory 12-hour hospital shifts and demanded the release of pending stipends.
The confrontation with police became a separate news story in Andhra Pradesh. BOOM reported that an assistant sub-inspector identified as Lakshmi Kumari was moved to vacancy reserve following the incident involving a woman protester.
The details surrounding the physical interaction have been described differently in social media posts and official accounts, which is why the distinction between what the video appears to show and what authorities said happened is important.
How misleading context can change a real video
The Tirupati video is an example of why location and date are essential when verifying viral content.
A video can be authentic while the caption attached to it is false. In this case, the footage showed a real protest, but the claim that it depicted Delhi Police action during the BRICS Summit was incorrect.
The timing made the claim more believable to some viewers because the BRICS Summit had just taken place in Delhi. Without checking the original upload or identifying the location, users could easily assume that the footage was connected to the international event.
Fact-checking organisations found evidence pointing to Tirupati, including earlier versions of the footage and reports published close to the date of the protest.
Fact check verdict: Video is from Tirupati, not Delhi
The claim that the viral video shows Delhi Police taking action against protesters during the BRICS Summit is false or misleading.
The footage was recorded during a paramedical students’ protest in Tirupati, Andhra Pradesh, on September 12, 2026. The protest concerned mandatory hospital shift timings and pending stipends.
The 18th BRICS Summit was held in New Delhi on September 12 and 13, but the Tirupati footage has no established connection to the summit. Multiple independent fact-checking organisations reached the same conclusion after tracing the video’s earlier versions.
The case highlights the importance of checking the original source, date and location before sharing viral videos, particularly when a clip is being linked to a major national or international event.
Takeaways
- The viral video is from a paramedical students’ protest in Tirupati, Andhra Pradesh.
- It was falsely presented on social media as Delhi Police action during the 2026 BRICS Summit.
- The Tirupati protesters were demanding pending stipends and opposing mandatory 12-hour hospital shifts.
- Multiple fact-checking organisations traced the footage to Tirupati using earlier uploads and reverse image searches.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is the viral Tirupati protest video from Delhi?
No. Fact-checking investigations found that the video was recorded in Tirupati, Andhra Pradesh, during a paramedical students’ protest on September 12, 2026.
Was the video recorded during the BRICS Summit?
The video was recorded on the same date as the start of the BRICS Summit, but it was not from the summit or Delhi. The 18th BRICS Summit was held at Bharat Mandapam in New Delhi on September 12 and 13.
Why were paramedical students protesting in Tirupati?
The students were protesting against mandatory 12-hour hospital shifts and demanding payment of pending monthly stipends reportedly amounting to ₹15,000.
How was the viral claim debunked?
Fact-checkers used reverse image searches and traced the video to earlier versions published by news organisations and social media accounts. Reports from Deccan Herald and Times of India identified the footage as being from the Tirupati protest.
