After the Cockroach Janta Party's march on 20 July 2026, Delhi Police called a viral video of a baton studded with nails "fake news" and said it was not filmed at the protest. BOOM verified that it was filmed at the protest near Janpath Metro that afternoon. It could not establish who fitted the nails or whether police used the baton.
Claim: The video of a nail-studded baton is fake and was not recorded at the 20 July CJP protest.
Said by: Delhi Police, on X, 21 July 2026.
What the record shows: The video's metadata and GPS place it near Janpath Metro at 4:33 pm on 20 July. Who used the baton is not established.
Where the claim came from
UPSC aspirant Upendra Gaur posted the video on Instagram (@gaur_95_com) on 21 July. He told BOOM he shot it on 20 July during a lathi charge. The baton with nails is visible about 40 seconds in. BOOM
Police position at the time On 21 July, replying to a post by Alt News co-founder Mohammed Zubair, Delhi Police called the video "fake news" and said it was unrelated to the CJP protest. In a separate post police said it had not been recorded at the demonstration. The PIB Fact Check handle on X amplified the police claim. BOOM
What the evidence shows
Documented BOOM analysed the metadata of a longer version of the video. It showed the clip was shot on 20 July 2026 at 16:33, and the GPS coordinates matched the protest area. BOOM
The location was near Gate No. 3 of Janpath Metro Station. A minor protester filmed a longer version from another angle, in front of the NCPCR building at 36 Janpath. BOOM
Not established BOOM said it could not establish who fitted the nails into the baton, or whether police personnel used it. The finding is about where and when the video was shot, not who was responsible. BOOM
Police also posted on 20 July that "no such incident has taken place" in response to reports of violence and detentions at Jantar Mantar, a statement BOOM noted alongside videos of lathi charges on protesters, including women and minors. BOOM
Context
This was one of two occasions when footage from protesters and creators was confirmed after police called it fake; the other was pellet guns. Al Jazeera Police also faced real violence that day: two ACPs and four other personnel were hurt by stone-pelting in the evening, and police later confirmed a CCTV clip of stone-pelting at a petrol pump. ANI The march is covered on the Cockroach Janta Party protests page.
Questions people ask
Was the nail baton video real?
Yes, in the sense that it was filmed at the 20 July protest near Janpath Metro. BOOM verified this from its metadata and GPS data.
Did Delhi Police use batons with nails?
That is not established. BOOM could not determine who fitted the nails or whether police used the baton.
Who filmed the baton video?
UPSC aspirant Upendra Gaur, who posted it on Instagram on 21 July. A minor protester filmed a longer version from another angle.
