A video shared after the 10 October 2026 protest claimed to show the public out on Delhi's streets in large numbers. PIB Fact Check says this is false: the video is old and shows a physical test held during a Delhi Police recruitment exam in September 2026.
Claim: A video shows huge crowds on Delhi's streets for the 10 October protest.
Said by: Various social media users, according to PIB Fact Check. It did not name them.
What the record shows: PIB Fact Check says the video is from the physical test of a Delhi Police recruitment exam in September 2026, not from the protest.
Where the claim came from
On 10 October the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) tried to march to Jantar Mantar to demand the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar. Police had refused permission, and the protest site was ringed by barricades and tens of thousands of security personnel. Sunday Guardian/ANI
How many people turned out became a fight of its own. The BJP's Delhi unit said turnout was weak. BJP Delhi Supporters of the protest shared videos meant to show the opposite. One, flagged by PIB on the morning of 11 October, claimed the public was out on Delhi's streets.
What the evidence shows
False At 6:48 am on 11 October, PIB Fact Check posted on X (in Hindi) an "old video alert". It said various users were sharing an old video with the "fake" claim that the public is on the streets in Delhi, and that "this video is of the physical test held during the Delhi Police recruitment exam in September 2026". PIB Fact Check
It was one of a string of misattributed crowd videos PIB flagged over the two days. On 10 October it said a "youths gather at Jantar Mantar" clip was from July 2026, a "crowds arriving in Delhi" clip was from the 2021 farmers' protests, and a "Jantar Mantar" video was from a protest at Aligarh Muslim University. PIB Fact Check PIB Fact Check PIB Fact Check
Police position On the evening of 10 October the New Delhi DCP shared a 37-second video to counter claims of a large gathering at Jantar Mantar, saying the area had no protesters that day. ETV Bharat
Context
An old crowd video being false does not mean nobody protested. Documented Large numbers of people were detained while trying to reach Jantar Mantar on 10 October: reported counts ranged from about 1,500 (Hindustan Times, citing Delhi Police) to more than 3,000 (Tribune, ETV Bharat, TOI). TBS The empty site that police showed was emptied by a security operation, not by a lack of interest. Both facts belong in the record.
PIB Fact Check is the government's own fact-checking unit. The full record of the day is on our Jantar Mantar 10 October page.
Questions people ask
Is the video of crowds on Delhi's streets from 10 October?
No. PIB Fact Check says it is from a physical test held during a Delhi Police recruitment exam in September 2026.
How many people protested in Delhi on 10 October?
There is no official headcount. Reported detention figures ranged from about 1,500 to more than 3,000, and police gave no official total.
Were other old videos shared as the protest?
Yes. PIB flagged clips from July 2026, the 2021 farmers' protests and Aligarh Muslim University, among others.
Sources
- PIB Fact Check on X: "people on Delhi's streets" video is from September 2026, 11 Oct 2026
- PIB Fact Check on X: "youths gather at Jantar Mantar" video is from July, 10 Oct 2026
- PIB Fact Check on X: "crowds arriving in Delhi" video is from 2021, 10 Oct 2026
- PIB Fact Check on X: viral "Jantar Mantar" video is from AMU, 10 Oct 2026
- BJP Delhi on X: turnout on 10 October was weak, 11 Oct 2026
- Sunday Guardian/ANI: Delhi Police deploy 35,000 personnel, 10 Oct 2026
- ETV Bharat: CJP protest live updates, 10 Oct 2026
- The Business Standard: detentions round-up, 10 Oct 2026
