Old video of Mahua Moitra goes viral linking to recent Lok Sabha expulsion

The viral video is from 3 October, 2023 and shows Mahua Moitra, with several other TMC leaders being detained by the Delhi Police from the Krishi Bhawan during a sit-in protest.

Trinamool Congress leader Mahua Moitra was expelled from the Lok Sabha on December 8 over cash-for-query allegations, after Parliamentary Affairs Minister Prahlad Joshi accused her of taking bribes from businessman Darshan Hiranandani in exchange for asking questions in the Lok Sabha. Today she approached the Supreme Court against her expulsion from Parliament. Against this backdrop, a video showing Moitra being detained by the Delhi Police who are seen dragging her out forcibly is viral online social media with the claim that Mahua Moitra was expelled in this manner from Lok Sabha.

The caption states, “TMC MP Mahua Moitra has been expelled from the Parliament over cash for a query case. She was expelled in this manner. Your views?”

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Fact Check- 

A reverse image and keyword search on Google brought us several reports from 3 October, 2023 that carried visuals similar to the viral video. 

According to reports, TMC MP Mahua Moitra, General Secretary Abhishek Banerjee and several other party leaders were detained on Tuesday night after they held a dharna at the Union Rural Development Ministry office in New Delhi demanding a meeting with MoS Sadhvi Niranjan Jyoti. The development came as the tug-of-war between the Centre and the West Bengal government over the release of funds to the state intensified with the TMC holding protests in the national capital for the second consecutive day.

In further search we found a YouTube video from 4 October, 2023, uploaded to the Oneindia News channel with the caption “TMC Protest in Delhi: Mahua Moitra dragged out by Delhi police”. The video shows Mahua Moitra being lifted and forcefully moved by security personnel. The description states that the “Trinamool Congress MP Mahua Moitra was among the senior party leaders detained by the Delhi Police following a sit-in protest staged inside Krishi Bhawan after they were denied a meeting with Union minister of state for rural development Sadhvi Niranjan Jyoti being given a prior appointment. 

Mahua Moitra also shared the viral video on her official twitter account on 3October with the caption, “This is how elected MPs of the world’s largest democracy are treated after being given an appointment to meet with a Minister of the Govt of India (which she refused to honour after making us wait 3 hours) Shame @narendramodi shame @AmitShah.”

Conclusion- 

Fact Crescendo found that the claim made along with the viral video to be Misleading.  The video shows an unrelated incident from October 2023 and is being falsely linked to Mahua Moitra’s recent expulsion from the Lok Sabha.