Old video from West Bengal is shared as people chasing away BJP candidates in Uttar Pradesh - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
January 24, 2022
In the wake of the upcoming general elections in Uttar Pradesh, a video of people chasing a woman amidst police security is being widely circulated across social media platforms claiming that the video shows people chasing away BJP candidates in Uttar Pradesh. Through this article, let’s fact-check the claim made in the post.
Claim: Video showing people chasing away BJP candidates in Uttar Pradesh.
Fact: The viral visuals are actually related to the election related violence, which erupted during the 2021 general elections in West Bengal’s Chuchura. As per news reports, clashes broke out between BJP and TMC workers on the election day when BJP’s candidate Locket Chatterjee visited a polling booth. She was chased by local TMC workers. While there have been sporadic incidents of BJP leaders being chased away by the local residents, the viral video has nothing to do with Uttar Pradesh. Hence the claim made in the post is FALSE.
The viral video contains the logo of ‘Zee 24 Ghanta’ at the top right corner. Taking a cue from this, an internet search with relevant keywords yielded the original news report which reported these visuals. As per the title, this video shows BJP’s Locket Chatterjee facing strong protests in the Chuchura area.
Another news agency reported that BJP’s Locket Chatterjee’s cavalcade was attacked allegedly by the local TMC supporters, on her visit to a polling booth on the election day i.e. 10 April 2021. These news reports establish that the viral video is not from Uttar Pradesh but from Bengal.
While there are isolated incidents of BJP leaders being chased away by locals of the constituency ahead of the upcoming general elections in Uttar Pradesh, the viral video is old and shows an incident that happened during the Bengal elections in 2021.
To sum it up, an old video from Bengal is shared as people chasing away BJP candidates in Uttar Pradesh.