A video of Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) leader Indresh Kumar attending an Iftar party in Delhi on 15 March 2025, is viral with a false claim that he attended it hours after communal violence broke out in Nagpur, Maharashtra on 17 March 2025.
On the night of 17 March 2025, communal violence broke out in Nagpur with large-scale arson, stone-pelting and attacks on police personnel. The riots were preceded by protests by Hindutva groups including VHP and Bajrang Dal demanding demolition of Aurangzeb’s tomb in Khuldabad. Nagpur city police have since arrested Fahim Shamim Khan, 38, a local politician on allegations of organising and planning the Nagpur violence.
The VHP and Bajrang Dal are both affiliated with the RSS and share similar ideologies.
The video is being shared on X with a caption in Hindi that translates to, “The night when Hindu houses and vehicles were being identified and burnt in Nagpur. That night RSS’s Indresh Kumar was eating dates with the mullahs.”
(In Hindi -जिस रात नागपुर मे हिन्दुओ के घरो और गाड़ियों क़ो चिन्हित कर के जलाया जा रहा था। उस रात rss के इंद्रेश कुमार मुल्लों के झूठे खजूर चाट रहे थे)
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The same visuals are also being shared on Facebook with the false claim.
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Fact check
BOOM found that the viral video of RSS leader Indresh Kumar at an iftar is from 15 March 2025, two days before communal violence broke out in Nagpur on 17 March.
Taking a hint from the viral video which has an ANI logo, we ran a keyword search on YouTube and found the original by the wire agency on 16 March 2025.
Indresh Kumar had also posted the invite for the Iftar party, which was held on 15 March 2025 in New Delhi. Kumar streamed a Facebook Live from the event, addressing the guests. This was posted at 6.12 pm on 15 March 2025 on his Facebook page.
This story was originally published by BOOM as part of the Shakti Collective. Apart from the headline, excerpt and introduction, this story has not been edited by ThePrint staff.