Video of drunk British Navy Official creating ruckus in Chennai claimed as Indian police assault; Fact Check

Posted by: Arun Nag April 11, 2024

A video is going viral on social media with the claim that Chennai Police assaulted a British navy officer after he refused to give them money.

The caption of the X post reads: “BREAKING NEWS ! “Reports emerging of a 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 British Navy Official beaten by 🇮🇳 Indian Police in Chennai for not giving them money 💵”. The post further said, “Advocating for a thorough and equitable investigation to ensure justice.”

It has been shared here.

FACT CHECK

Digiteye India took it up after a WhatsApp request on its helpline and checked for the original video. Using the key words Britain, Navy officer, Chennai Police, the original video appeared on X and it suggested that the navy officer, was intoxicated and seen attempting to bite random bikers on the road. Several posts on X have shared the original video as seen below:

The news reports corroborated the incident that took place on the night March 31, 2024 outside a mall in the Royapettah area of Chennai. The man in the video was seen catching hold of biker on the road and trying to bite him. A couple of local policemen were seen trying to restrain him physically. The video later shows them dragging the inebriated man away to the footpath.

The Chennai police later identified the drunk man as J L Willis, a crew member of one of the 2 United Kingdom’s Royal Navy ships anchored at Larsen and Toubro’s shipbuilding facility at Kattupalli, Chennai for maintenance. The Police said no case has been registered and he was let off on the assurance of his colleagues.

Hence, the claim that 󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 a British Navy Official beaten by Indian Police in Chennai for not giving them money is totally false.

Claim: Video shows British Navy Official beaten by Indian Police in Chennai for not giving them money.

Conclusion: The claim is false. The police and the public were trying to restrain an inebriated British Navy man from biting bikers on the road in Chennai.

Rating: Misleading —

About Arun Nag

Arun is with Digiteye India since the beginning as the main source for re-writing copies and re-checking the facts and images. He writes on general and tech issues. He can be reached at arunnag@digiteye.in

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