On May 7, BJP leader Suvendu Adhikari termed the murder of his aide Chandranath Rath a ‘political assassination’ linked to post-poll violence in West Bengal. Rath was found dead with bullet injuries in North 24 Parganas, prompting police to form a Special Investigation Team (SIT). The BJP accused TMC workers of involvement, while the ruling party denied the allegations.
In the above context, a video is being widely shared on social media in which Suvendu Adhikari is seen holding a small child while speaking to a woman. The woman is seen crying and saying something in Bengali, to which Suvendu is responding.
The video is shared with a caption suggesting that it shows Suvendu meeting the family of his PA after he was killed.
A social media user shared the video with a caption that reads, “After the murder of his PA Chandranath Rathi, Suvendu Adhikari is extremely angry in Bengal.”
SouthCheck found that the claim is false. The viral video is from 2024 and shows Suvendhu meeting the family of the Pahalgam attack victims.
On a Google reverse image search, we found that the screenshot of the same video was shared by Indian Express Bengali on April 24, 2025. In the screenshot, we can see Suvendu carrying the same child in his arms, and the man in the pink shirt is seen standing behind his back.
The report associated with the image suggests that after the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack that killed 26 people, BJP leader Suvendu Adhikari sparked controversy by targeting “secularists” while consoling victims’ families at Kolkata airport. Holding the child of victim Bitaan Adhikari, alleged Hindus were killed for their religion and invoked Israel’s response in Gaza. The remarks drew sharp political reactions in West Bengal.
We further found that Suvendhu Adhikari has also shared the video of him visiting the family of victims of the Pahalgam attack on his X account.
He shared the video on April 23, 2025, with a caption that reads, “With a profoundly heavy heart, I paid tribute to my fellow citizens from West Bengal, Shri Sameer Guha and Shri Bitan Adhikari, who were mercilessly killed by bullets from Pakistan-backed terrorists in the cargo hold area of Kolkata's Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose International Airport, in the Pahalgam incident. I met their bereaved family members and tried to express condolences to the grieving families in this hour of profound sorrow. Hearing the horror of the incident left me stunned, that the terrorists killed the tourists with such brutality simply because they were Hindus. The memory of our Hindu brothers, who tragically lost their lives yesterday in the Pahalgam terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir, will remain etched in our hearts with the deepest respect and solemnity. I am firmly convinced that the Government of India will exact the harshest possible retribution for this heinous and infernal act.”
While the video is taken from a different angle, we can see him carrying the same child, and the man in the pink shirt is also standing behind him, which can be seen in the viral video, too. Hence, we can ascertain that the viral video is old.
Taking a hint, we searched with relevant keywords and found that the incident was also reported by The Print on April 24, 2025. The report suggests that on April 24, 2025, West Bengal BJP leader Suvendu Adhikari visited the family of Pahalgam terror attack victim Bitan Adhikari in Kolkata and assured them of all possible support. He expressed hope that both the Centre and the West Bengal government would provide financial compensation to the bereaved family. The April 22 terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir’s Pahalgam had killed 26 people, including tourists.
We also found no reports of Suvendu Adhikari meeting his PA's family.
Hence, we can ascertain that the viral claim is false.
