Rautahat, July 30 -- Late into Wednesday night, friends, well-wishers and relatives kept calling Deputy Superintendent of Police Satya Thapa of the Area Police Office in Chandranigahapur in Rautahat district with the same question: "Was the police vehicle really torched? Did protests break out there too?"

Thapa spent much of the day answering calls and clarifying that the video circulating was old footage and unrelated to any recent incident. The episode in Chandranigahapur showed how the race for views and virality on social media can quickly become a threat to public order and security, particularly during periods of heightened tension.

Following the Dewanganj incident, an old video was falsely presented as a recent event, creating co...