Fact check: Viral video claiming 1,500 RSS volunteers held Path Sanchalan in Karnataka is misleading
Viral video claiming 1,500 RSS volunteers held Path Sanchalan in Karnataka is misleading
Claim :
Viral video shows 1,500 RSS volunteers hold Path Sanchalam in Karnataka's Sedam despite permission denialFact :
The video shows RSS volunteers marching in Path Sanchalan (route March) in Nagpur in May 2025, not related to Karnataka
The Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) marked its 100th anniversary in October 2025 with nationwide Hindu Sammelans and the release of a commemorative stamp and coin by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. On October 16, the Karnataka Cabinet approved rules restricting RSS activities on government premises, prompting a legal challenge. The High Court stayed the order on October 28, calling it unconstitutional. Chief Minister Siddaramaiah said the state would appeal.
Tensions rose after Chittapur officials denied permission for an RSS route march, and peace talks with Dalit and Left groups failed. The Kalaburagi bench later asked the administration to review the RSS’s plea for a rescheduled march on November 2. A government employee was suspended for joining an RSS march, and the state reissued a 2013 order barring private use of school grounds. Siddaramaiah clarified that no ban was imposed on the RSS.
Amid this, a viral video claiming the RSS held a march in Karnataka “despite the ban” is going viral on social media, claiming that 1500 RSS volunteers held Path Sanchalam in Karnataka’s Sedam despite permission denial. The video shows the route march by several volunteers in a street.
Here is the screenshot of the claim.
Fact check:
The claim is Misleading. The video is not from Karnataka; it is from Nagpur.
When we extracted keyframes from the viral video and searched them using Google reverse image search, we found a YouTube video published by a channel named Jai Maharashtra News, stating that the video is from Nagpur. The video is titled “Nagpur | RSS | नागपुरात राष्ट्रीय स्वयंसेवक संघाने केलं संचालन | Marathi News”
The description of the video states that the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh conducted a parade in Nagpur. This parade was taken out of the main square of the city. On this occasion, students from all over the country participated in the Karyakarta Vikas Varga. 840 volunteers have participated in the 25-day training camp. #Nagpur #RSS #Sanchalan #VolunteerTraining #Shiksharthi #25DayCamp #SelflessService#JaiMaharashtraNews #JayMaharashtraNews #MarathiNews
We also found the video shared on Facebook by India Today with the caption “#WATCH | Maharashtra: The Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) held a ‘Path Sanchalan’ (route march) in Nagpur, showcasing disciplined formations and uniformed participation. (RSS, Nagpur, Maharashtra)”
We also found some images published on an X page named "Friends of RSS." The images were shared on the account on May 26, 2025, with the caption “Spectacular Path Sanchalan by 840 trainees from across Bharat at the 25-day RSS Cadre Training Camp, Karyakarta Vikas Varg - Dwiteeya (Samanya) held in Nagpur.”
Upon further research about the watermark ‘NAI’ on the video, we found a video published by News Arena India (NAI). NAI published the same video on May 25, 2025, with the caption ‘RSS members conduct 'Path Sanchalan' in Nagpur, Maharashtra.’
Hence, the video showing RSS volunteers marching and conducting Path Sanchalan in the middle of the street is from Nagpur and not Karnataka. The claim is Misleading.
