The man in the viral clip has been suspended from the Army
A video clip has gone viral on the social media platform X, showing a man in an army uniform holding a baby. In the video, he claims that the country’s Prime Minister seeks votes in the name of soldiers but hesitates to deliver justice to them. Later, the man in uniform remarks, “If this baby asks me tomorrow, what will I say? My wife thinks I’m a terrorist.” The video also shows the police escorting the man.
Congress leader Vikas Bansal stated while sharing a clip, ‘Hail Soldier Hail Farmer. It is very sad that even our country’s soldiers have to fall prey to their dirty politics.’
X handle, Horizon News also shared the video with a similar claim, ’Hail Soldier Hail Farmer. Sadly, even our soldiers have to become victims of their dirty politics.’
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We began our fact-check by performing a reverse image search on the viral video. The search led us to a YouTube channel titled The PM India, where the full version of the viral clip was uploaded on November 10, 2024.
Upon closer examination, we identified the nameplate on the man’s army uniform, which read Chauhan Chandu.
Further research using relevant keywords led us to a news article published by Navbharat Times on October 6, 2019. The article reported that in 2016, a soldier named Chandu Chavan accidentally crossed the Pakistan border, where he was held captive and tortured for several months. Upon his return, Chavan accused the Indian Army of mistreating him and announced his decision to leave the force.
The Indian Army, however, stated that Chavan had a history of indiscipline and was facing five separate disciplinary actions for various offenses. The Army clarified that despite several counseling sessions and rehabilitation efforts, Chavan’s emotional and grievance-driven behavior made these attempts ineffective. The Army emphasized that it does not tolerate indiscipline under any circumstances.
Additionally, an article published by OneIndia on October 26, 2017, detailed the circumstances of Chavan’s detention in Pakistan. The report stated that shortly after the 2016 surgical strikes, Chavan had an argument with his Junior Commissioned Officer (JCO) over duty allocation. Following this dispute, he mistakenly crossed the Line of Control (LOC) and was taken into custody by Pakistan. On October 7, 2016, Pakistan confirmed to India’s Director General of Military Operations (DGMO) that Chavan was in their custody.
Four months later, Chavan was handed over to the Indian Army at the Amritsar-Wagah border after the issue was raised during DGMO-level discussions. Lt. Gen. (Retd.) D.S. Hooda, who was serving at the time, confirmed that the Army had been informed about Chavan’s disappearance following his argument with the JCO.
Notably, In September 2024, we also debunked a claim made by Chandu Chauhan, where he alleged that Indian Army soldiers were living in hunger and relying on villagers for food.
The man in the viral video has been identified as Chandu Chauhan, a former soldier who was suspended in 2016 due to repeated acts of indiscipline. The Indian Army has consistently maintained that Chavan violated rules on multiple occasions and was unfit for service despite counseling and rehabilitation efforts.
Therefore, the claim by certain political leaders suggesting that under Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government, Indian soldiers are being victimized for political purposes is misleading. The individual in question is not a serving member of the armed forces and was dismissed due to his own repeated misconduct.
| Claim | Under Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government, Indian soldiers are being victimized for political purposes. |
| Claimed by | Vikas Bansal |
| Fact Check | The individual in question is not a serving member of the armed forces and was dismissed due to his own repeated misconduct. |
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