A video of a military vehicle racing past people on a mountain road was filmed after confrontations between a paramilitary group and villagers in India's northeast, contrary to social media posts claiming it showed an incursion by Chinese troops. The video was previously shared months earlier by local media in Manipur state, who said local villagers filmed it after an Assam Rifles convoy forced its way through barricades they had set up.
"The Chinese army has intruded into the country and is wreaking havoc," says the Hindi-language caption of a Facebook video shared on August 14, 2026.
The video shows women carrying wooden poles walking along a mountain road before what appears to be a military truck roars past them.
Text over the video reads, "Chinese troops cross the Indian border; calls grow for action by the Indian Army".
The same video was also shared in similar Facebook and Instagram posts after a regional political outfit in Arunachal Pradesh state alleged that troops from China's People's Liberation Army (PLA) were blocking Indian forces from accessing key patrolling points along the countries' disputed border ( archived link).
According to an India Today report, a fact-finding committee of the People's Party of Arunachal alleged the PLA was "steadily expanding its control over traditional Indian grazing and hunting grounds".
Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju rejected claims of Chinese encroachment on August 19, though he acknowledged that increased military activity along frontier ridges had raised legitimate concerns among local villagers ( archived link).
The shared frontier region has been a perennial source of tension between the nuclear-armed neighbours.
Troops clashed at the border in Arunachal Pradesh in December 2022 in one of the most serious incidents in recent years, leaving troops on both sides injured ( archived link). It was thought to be the most serious incident at the border since 2020, when 20 Indian troops and four Chinese soldiers died in a brawl ( archived link).
The footage circulating on social media, however, does not show Chinese troops in India.
A reverse image search on Google using keyframes from the falsely shared video found the same footage -- flipped horizontally -- published in a Facebook post on April 25 ( archived link).
"Situation Report. Hoomi Tangkhul Naga Village, Ukhrul, Manipur. Rounds of fire shot at Civilians by Assam Riffles," reads its caption.
Manipur is a state that borders Myanmar in northeastern India, and the Assam Rifles are an Indian paramilitary force tasked with border security and counter insurgency ( archived link).
The region has been gripped by ethnic conflict between the predominantly Hindu Meitei majority and the mainly Christian Kuki community, with the Assam Rifles -- tasked with maintaining order -- viewed with suspicion by both sides (archived here and here).
A further keyword search found the video was also shared on the Facebook page of the Ukhrul Times news portal on April 25 ( archived link). Its caption says an Assam Rifles convoy "forced its way through the Talui village gate" in Ukhrul, injuring a woman.
India Today North East's X account also shared the footage alongside other clips on April 25 ( archived link).
The Ukhrul Times reported that two civilians were critically injured in separate incidents in Talui and Hoomi on April 25, following alleged confrontations with Assam Rifles personnel ( archived link).
The report said the apex body of the Tangkhul Naga tribe in Manipur "demanded action against those involved and said such incidents have increased fear among local residents. It also reiterated that security forces should inform civil society bodies before moving through sensitive areas."
The news portal told AFP on August 17 the footage was filmed by local villagers in Manipur, and claims it showed Chinese troops entering Arunachal Pradesh state were "fake".
Moreover, the Station House Officer (SHO) of the Somdal Police Station in Manipur told AFP on August 17 that the incident was a local confrontation between Assam Rifles personnel and Tangkhul Naga civilians, not a Chinese troop movement.
AFP has previously debunked other false claims stemming from India and China's disputed border.