Fact Check: Video showing Varanasi police feeding monkeys is an AI-generated one
Festival of Janmashtami, which marks the birth of Lord Krishna, was celebrated across the country on August 16, 2025.
Janmashtami viral video
Festival of Janmashtami, which marks the birth of Lord Krishna, was celebrated across the country on August 16, 2025. Devotees throng to the temples to offer prayers to Lord Krishna. Mathura and Vrindavan in Uttar Pradesh are fully geared to celebrate the birth of Lord Krishna. Thousands of temples, including Banke Bihari Temple, Prem Mandir, Iskcon Temple, and Shri Krishna Janm Bhumi Temple, have been tastefully decorated in Mathura, the birthplace of Lord Krishna.
A video showing monkeys sitting in lines and eating an Indian traditional feast with police officials guarding them is being shared virally on social media with the claim that the Varanasi officials fed the stray monkeys on the occasion of Janmashtami at Varanasi ghat. The video is in circulation with the caption in Hindi claiming “उत्तर प्रदेश पुलिस तो यहां बिजी है, फिर चाहे प्रदेश में बलात्कार हों, आर्मी के जवान को टोल कर्मियों द्वारा पीटा जाए, गोलियां चलें या कानून व्यवस्था की धज्जियां उड़ी हों मगर सनातन की सेवा में कमी नहीं रहनी चाहिए। वाराणसी घाट पर जन्माष्टमी पर वानर सेना को भोजन करवाती पुलिस। जय श्री राम”, when translated it claims “The Uttar Pradesh Police is busy here, whether there are rapes in the state, an army soldier is beaten by toll workers, bullets are fired, or law and order is in tatters, but there should be no lapse in the service of Sanatan. Police feeding the monkey army on Janmashtami at Varanasi Ghat. Jai Shri Ram”
other users shared the same video with claim “जन्माष्टमी के शुभ अवसर पर वाराणसी घाट पर वानर सेना को भोजन कराने का अद्भुत, अकल्पनीय एवं अलौकिक दृश्य”
Here is the archive link of the claim.
Fact Check:
The claim is False. The viral video is an AI-generated video.
When we searched for mainstream media reports, we did not find any such reports. The video shows several discrepancies; in some shots of the video, policemen can be seen wearing police hats, and in others, they are seen wearing turbans. Some policemen can be seen wearing gloves on their hands, and some were standing without gloves. The words on the saffron flags also did not fetch any information. There are differences in the background buildings in different frames.
Here are the screenshots of the discrepancies seen in the video.
We extracted the keyframes from the viral video and checked them using AI detection tools. We found that the AI detection tool Hive moderation confirmed that the video is AI-generated.
We also checked extracted keyframes using WasitAI detection tool, which also confirmed that the video is an AI-generated video.
Hence, the viral video is an AI-generated one, does not show a real incident of Police officials feeding a group of monkeys, who can be seen eating in a disciplined way. The claim is False.