The West Bengal Assembly elections are a high-stakes contest where the Trinamool Congress (TMC), led by Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, is seeking a fourth term amid anti-incumbency. Voting is scheduled in two phases (April 23 and 29) with results on May 4.
The fight is largely open between TMC and BJP, though some seats see triangular contests. Campaigns revolve around welfare vs corruption, identity politics, jobs, and governance, with TMC pushing grassroots outreach while BJP aggressively targets its record.
In the above context, a video is being widely shared on social media in which two men are seen vandalising a shop.
The video is shared with a caption claiming that the video is from West Bengal, where, ahead of elections, TMC goons are destroying the properties of Hindus.
A social media user shared the video with a caption that reads, “TMC goons came to intimidate, but they forgot that CRPF is now deployed in Bengal. They were dealt with.”
SouthCheck found that the claim is false. The viral video is from 2024 and from Bangladesh.
On a Google reverse image search, we found that the same video from a different angle was also shared by Dhaka Post on August 17, 2024. The video is shared with a caption that reads, “The army has detained two people after BNP workers vandalised shops belonging to one party in Boalmari, Faridpur, following a clash between two factions.”
We further found that the screenshot from the video was also shared by a Bangladesh-based website, 24hourskhobor, on August 18, 2024. According to the report, in Boalmari, Faridpur, Bangladesh, clashes between two rival groups led to vandalism of shops by alleged Jubo Dal workers. A viral video shows two men armed with sharp weapons being dramatically arrested by the army. The suspects, Tutul Hossain (28) and Dukhu Mia (30), were later handed over to the police and jailed. The violence stemmed from tensions between supporters of two BNP-linked political factions.
Another Bangladeshi website, Dainikamadershomoy shared the screenshot of the viral video on August 18, 2024, with a report suggesting that two men seen vandalising a shop in a viral video in Boalmari, Faridpur, have been identified as Jubo Dal workers Tutul Hossain (28) and Dukhu Mia (30).
Armed with sharp weapons, they attacked a shop before surrendering dramatically to the army, who detained them. The incident followed clashes between rival BNP factions. They were later handed over to the police and sent to jail by court order.