Does this video show people protesting at Jantar Mantar over caste-based reservation? Fact Check
Claim: A video allegedly shows people protesting at Delhi’s Jantar Mantar against India’s caste-based reservation system.
Conclusion: The claim is false. The video is unrelated to the Jantar Mantar protests and actually shows a procession from the 2026 Jagannath Rath Yatra in Puri, Odisha. While protests against India’s caste-based reservation system were held at Jantar Mantar, the viral video does not show those protests.
Rating: False 
Several social media users have shared a video and claimed that it showcases protests from Delhi’s Jantar Mantar against India’s caste-based reservation system. Verified X user ‘bjpryvsh’ shared such a post with the caption, translated from Hindi : “Today’s deluge of people at Jantar Mantar has instilled at least this much fear in those in power. That in numerous states, they have begun placing upper-caste voices under HOUSE ARREST. Tomorrow, a tsunami will come, not just a wave. Until caste-based reservations, the SCST Act, and UGC regulations are removed. Until then, it will be difficult to stop us.”
Attached to the post is a 14 second video which allegedly showcases the protestors at Jantar Mantar. View the post below –
Other users have shared similar claims that can be seen here
FACT CHECK
DigitEYE India decided to investigate this claim and found it to be false. The footage does not depict the Jantar Mantar protests. It shows a procession associated with the Jagannath Rath Yatra in Puri, Odisha. Although protests against the caste-based reservation system did take place at Jantar Mantar, the viral video is unrelated to those demonstrations.
Details:
For context, people were protesting against caste-based reservation at Delhi’s Jantar Mantar, with the demonstration called by the Instagram-based page “Reservation Hatao Andolan.” The group had called for a physical protest at the site, prompting authorities to increase security and prevent any gathering without prior permission.
We first conducted a reverse image search using several keyframes from the video to investigate its origin. The search led us to a YouTube Short uploaded on 21 July 2026, titled “Bhagwan Deewanapan at Rathyatra Jagannath Temple 2026.” The accompanying hashtags also refer to the 2026 Rath Yatra, further supporting the video’s connection to the event.
Another search result led us to an Instagram post uploaded by a user on 18 July 2026, which contains the same visuals seen in the viral claim. The caption also indicates that the footage is from the 2026 Jagannath Rath Yatra. Since the post predates the claimed context, the footage could not have been recorded during the Jantar Mantar protests.
Lastly, we searched for authentic footage from Jantar Mantar against India’s caste-based reservation system. ANI has uploaded footage alongside other media outlets like Republic World and WION. None of these videos from Jantar Mantar protests match the visuals from the claim.
Thus, the claim is false.
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