Video of attack on Bengal BJP leader shared as attack on security forces

The video shows an attack on security forces in a village in West Bengal.

Hyderabad:

The sixth phase of the Lok Sabha elections was held on May 25 in 58 constituencies in seven states and one union territory. Elections were also held for some seats in West Bengal during the sixth phase. There were isolated incidents of violence, although the state recorded the highest voter turnout at 79.47 percent.

Against this backdrop, a video has gone viral allegedly showing an attack on security forces in a village in West Bengal.

An X user shared a video titled “Attacks on security forces in a village in West Bengal during the sixth phase of Lok Sabha elections (translated from Telugu).”

A similar post can be seen here.

Fact check

NewsMeter found that the claim is misleading as the video shows an attack on a BJP parliamentary candidate and not just on the security personnel.

When we performed a reverse image search of the viral video, we found several news reports related to the violent incident during the sixth phase of the Lok Sabha elections in West Bengal.

BJP candidate Pranath Tudu from Jhargram in West Bengal was attacked by a violent mob on Saturday. A video of the incident shows the mob pelting stones and chasing Pranath and his convoy. When the attack took place, security personnel reacted quickly and took him away safely from the scene. According to a report in the Times of India, a BJP leader’s car was also vandalized in the incident.

According to an ANI News post on X on May 25, BJP candidate Pranath for the Jhargram parliamentary seat was attacked by miscreants when he visited polling station number 200 in Monglapota constituency.

#REGARD | West Bengal | BJP candidate for Jhargram Lok Sabha seat Pranat Tudu was allegedly attacked by miscreants today when he visited polling booth No. 200 at Monglapota in the constituency. pic.twitter.com/bfEYH7KgXT

— ANI (@ANI) May 25, 2024

Therefore, we conclude that the claim is misleading since the video shows a BJP candidate being attacked by a mob in West Bengal.

Eligibility check: The video shows an attack on security forces in a village in West Bengal during the sixth phase of the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.

Claimed by: Facebook users

Claim verified by: NewsMeter

Source of claim: Facebook

Claim fact check: Misleading

Fact: This claim is misleading. The target of the mob was a BJP candidate from Jhargram, West Bengal, and not just the security personnel.

(This story was originally published by NewMeter and republished by NDTV as part of the Shakti Collective.)