A VIDEO SHOWING COUNCILLORS taking an oath to ‘honestly’ share bribes have gone viral across social media platforms sparking serious concerns on regulation and functioning of the urban-local bodies in India. According to a report by the news agency Press Trust of India (PTI), the officials informed that the civic body has ordered an inquiry into the matter.

The video purportedly shows a group of people standing with Gangajal (holy ganga-river water) in their hands and repeating an oath in unison led by a municipal councilor. The individuals have been identified on social media as municipal councilors from Shahjahanpur in Uttar Pradesh. However, the claims on social media and its authenticity have not been verified independently. 

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Councilors Take a Collective Oath to Share Bribes Equally

The purported video of a group of municipal councilors taking an oath of ‘honest bribery’ has taken the social media by storm since Tuesday, August 25, 2026. In the video, a municipal councilor is seen holding a vessel containing Gangajal and allegedly taking an oath to ensure that any bribes received would be shared equally among 60 people. 

In a chaotic environment, one could hear the councilors saying, “Jo bhi nigam ke andar hogi, woh 60 logo mein bategi” (whatever happens inside the municipality, would be equally divided among us 60 councillors). Then the group proceeds with the oath further, and allegedly says “Jo humare group mein hai, agar kisi pe aanch aati hai, toh hum sab datein rahenge” which translates to ensuring that all its members stand united in case any one gets into trouble. Furthermore, one could also hear some objectionable references made to a person labelled as a ‘traitor’ for allegedly breaking the vow. 

Official Responses and Corruption in India

Responding to this incident, Municipal Commissioner Saumya Gururani told PTI that the video was recorded in November 2025, when she was not the municipal commissioner in charge. However, irrespective of who was in-charge an enquiry has been ordered and further action would be taken according to the findings, said Gururani.

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The Corruption Perceptions Index—a report published by the Transparency International—ranks India at 91st amongst 182 countries in its latest 2025 report. It is without doubt that institutionalization of corruption can disintegrate a country’s political, social, economic and administrative set up, and Indian politics have shared a close interaction with corruptive practices for long.  It is with the strengthening of anti-corruption laws and taking a stance against such practices that we would be able resolve these issues in its entirety.

(Edited by Ritik Singh)

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