The West Bengal Assembly elections are being held in two phases on April 23 and 29, to elect 294 seats, with results due on May 4. The contest is primarily between the ruling Trinamool Congress led by Mamata Banerjee and the BJP. Campaigns focus on welfare schemes, governance, identity politics and security, making it a high-stakes and closely watched political battle.
In the above context, a video is being widely shared on social media in which some people are seen assaulting a man with stick on a road.
The video is shared with a caption suggesting that it shows Hindus in West Bengal beating All India Trinamool Congress’ (TMC) leader Nazrul Islam in Murshidabad.
A social media user shared the video with a caption that reads, “Nazrul Islam, a TMC worker, was allegedly threatening people in Murshidabad over their voting choices, reportedly warning that they wouldn’t be able to live peacefully if they didn’t support his party. But this time, things didn’t go as planned. Locals stood their ground and refused to be intimidated. The situation quickly turned, and he was forced to flee, showing that people will not stay silent when pushed beyond a point. This incident raises serious questions about the state of democracy and freedom of choice. Voting is a fundamental right, not something to be controlled through fear or threats.”
SouthCheck found that the claim is false. The video is from 2022 and shows visuals from Uttar Pradesh.
On a Google reverse image search, we found that the screenshot of the same video was shared by One India Tamil on June 20, 2022.
The report associated with the image read that during protests against the Centre’s Agnipath recruitment scheme, violence erupted in parts of Uttar Pradesh, including Varanasi, on June 17, 2022, with buses and public property damaged. Authorities later identified those involved and began proceedings to recover losses—estimated at over Rs 12 lakh—from accused protesters, while multiple arrests and FIRs were reported.
We further found that NBT UP-Uttarakhand had also shared a snippet of the viral video on June 17, 2022.
In the video, at around 28 minutes, one can see the same video as the viral video. The description associated with the video suggests that it was of the Agnipath Scheme Protest. According to the description, “Agnipath Scheme Protest: ‘Agniveer’ was closing the market in Varanasi, shopkeepers thrashed him. Locals were enraged when protests against the Agnipath scheme turned violent in Varanasi, the parliamentary constituency of PM Narendra Modi. Railway tracks were set on fire in Varanasi, along with vandalism and stone pelting on a train. Amid images of the violence, when some opponents of the Agnipath scheme arrived in Varanasi markets, attempts were made to forcibly close shops. As chaos erupted in the market in the name of protesting against the Agnipath scheme, shopkeepers took charge. They severely beat up the protesters and handed them over to the police. The anger of the locals against the rioters in Varanasi continued for a long time. Later, the police arrived and brought the situation under control. Earlier, protesters protesting against the Agnipath scheme created a ruckus at the Varanasi railway station, vandalising the premises and pelting stones at trains. The roadways bus stand in Varanasi was also vandalised on Friday. Apart from this, a government bus was also damaged in the Lahartara area.”
The incident was also reported by the website of The Nav Bharat Times on June 17, 2022. According to the report, during protests against the Agnipath scheme in Varanasi on June 17, 2022, demonstrators turned violent, damaging buses, trains, and public property. When some protesters tried to forcibly shut shops in local markets, angry shopkeepers retaliated and beat them before handing them over to the police. Authorities later intervened to control the situation and restore order.
