Phase 1 of the West Bengal elections was held on April 23. The election saw voting across 152 constituencies with a record turnout of over 91–92 per cent, reflecting strong voter mobilisation. Despite largely smooth polling, sporadic violence, clashes and intimidation allegations were reported in several areas, raising concerns about electoral fairness in a highly competitive TMC vs BJP contest.
In the above context, a video is going viral on social media in which a group of goons are initially seen rigging the election by entering a polling booth and seizing the ballot paper. Later, in the same video, we can see Army personnel enter the premises and lathi-charge them.
The video is shared with a caption claiming that it shows Army personnel lathi-charging at Trinamool Congress (TMC) workers for allegedly capturing a booth in phase 1 of the West Bengal Elections.
A social media user shared the video with a caption that reads, “The army gave a thorough thrashing to all the TMC thugs and rioters who were trying to capture booths, and this isn’t just one such incident—today, hundreds of such incidents have come to light. The Indian Army is with you, all fellow patriots.”
SouthCheck found that the claim is false. The viral video is from Bangladesh and is of a mock drill that happened ahead of Bangladesh elections in February.
On a Google reverse image search, we found a video shared by a YouTube account, which has the same banner as visible in the beginning of the viral video. We can also see the same building of green colour in the background as well
We found that the text written on the banner of the YouTube banner when converted to English reads, “Thirteenth National Parliament Election-2026 Rashik Nagar Government Primary School Election Exercise.”
We further geolocated the area and can see the same green building as seen in the viral video. Thus, suggesting that the viral video is from Bangladesh.
Thus, all of this suggests that the viral video is from Bangladesh.
Moreover, we searched with relevant keywords to know more about the incident and found a report by a Bangladeshi news website, Bortaman Bangla, February 9, 2026. The incident talks about a police mock drill that happened at Rasik Nagar Government Primary School ahead of General elections in Bangladesh. This is the same name which is also mentioned on the banner visible in video, thus suggesting that the report is of the same incident showcased in the viral video.
According to the report, an election preparedness drill was held in Dighinala, Khagrachhari, to strengthen security ahead of the 13th national parliamentary elections. Conducted at Rasik Nagar Government Primary School, the exercise showcased coordination among forces, polling station security, and emergency response. It was inspected by Brigadier General KM Obaidul Haque. Officials said security agencies are fully prepared to ensure free, fair, and peaceful elections.
Hence, we can ascertain that the viral claim is false.