Fact Check: No, video doesn't show riots in France against Bollywood film ‘Chhava’

What is the claim?

A video showing people throwing stones and attacking a police vehicle is circulating widely on social media, with claims that it depicts Muslims in Paris protesting the release of 'Chhava'—a Bollywood historical film based on the life of Sambhaji Maharaj, the son and successor of the Indian Maratha king Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj.

An X user shared the viral clip with the caption: “Paris: Muslims riot as #Chhaava gets released in French (spelled Chhââva). #NagpurRiots.” At the time of writing, the post had garnered over 11,000 likes and 2,900 reposts.

Archived versions of similar posts on X can be viewed here, here, here, and here. The video is also circulating on Facebook, with archived links available here, here, here, and here.

The video is being shared amid communal violence that broke out in Nagpur, Maharashtra, India, on March 17, 2025. The unrest was reportedly sparked by rumors that a cloth inscribed with Quranic verses was burned during a protest by a right-wing group demanding the removal of Mughal emperor Aurangzeb’s tomb in Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar district.

Following the violence, Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis linked the unrest to the release of 'Chhava,' stating that the film had reignited sentiments against Aurangzeb.

However, we found that the viral video is old and unrelated to the Bollywood film.

What did we find?

A reverse image search of the viral clip led us to a post on X (archived here) shared by the official account of the Independent Union of Police Commissioners (SICP) on January 25, 2021.

The post featured visuals matching those in the viral video, along with a caption in French that translates to: “Yesterday in Pantin, Courtillières, a group of police officers was attacked by individuals. The police were violently assaulted, and the perpetrators filmed the incident while laughing. Full support for the police. The Republic must not back down.”

A Google search directed us to a report published by Le Parisien, a local media outlet in France, on the same date, which included the viral video. According to the report, a police vehicle was attacked in the Courtillières district of Pantin by a group of young people filming a rap music video. Officers were conducting a routine traffic check when they were suddenly assaulted with stones and other projectiles.

Another report by French media outlet Actu.fr—which included a screenshot of the viral clip—corroborated these details. It added that police used tear gas to disperse the crowd and that the windshield of the police vehicle was shattered during the attack. The officers managed to escape unharmed, and no injuries were reported.

Multiple other local media outlets, including BFM Prais (archived here) and France Bleu, also covered the incident. They confirmed that four individuals were arrested following the attack.

Moreover, Chhava was released in France on February 14, 2025—nearly four years after the incident shown in the video.

The verdict

An old video from 2021 showing people attacking a police vehicle during the filming of a music video in Pantin, France, is being falsely shared as footage of Muslims in Paris protesting the release of the Bollywood film 'Chhava.'

(This article was first written by Logically Facts, and republished by Deccan Chronicle as part of the Shakti Collective Fact Check initiative)