Old video of BJP leader Dheeraj Ojha goes viral with misleading claims

The viral video is not recent and it dates back to 2021.

A video of a man lying on the road and accusing the Superintendent of Police (SP) has gone viral on social media. The video is claimed to be recent and which features Raniganj BJP MLA Dheeraj Ojha, who was allegedly beaten up by SPF Pratapgarh and is now lying on the road in protest. In the viral video, a man can be seen accusing the Pratapgarh Superintendent of Police of beating him up.

Let’s check the truth

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Fact Check-

We started our investigation with keyword and a reverse image search on Google and the results led us to a report by the Times of India published on 7 April 2021. The report states that the person seen in the viral video is the then BJP MLA from Raniganj assembly seat in Pratapgarh district, Abhay Kumar alias Dheeraj Ojha. He had sat on a dharna protest against anomalies in the voters list being prepared for panchayat polls. This indicates that the incident is not recent.

Moving forward, we found another report related to the viral video on the official YouTube channel of ABP Ganga, uploaded on 7 April 2021.
The description of the video states, “A high voltage drama was witnessed by BJP MLA Abhay Kumar Ojha alias Dheeraj Ojha from Raniganj of Pratapgarh. He staged a dharna at the DM’s residence to get the name of his supporter included in the voter list. On being persuaded by the officials, he started protesting by lying on the ground. After this, on being persuaded by SP Akash Tomar who reached the spot, he got more agitated and took off his clothes and lay down on the road”.

After the video of this incident went viral, the Pratapgarh district police also posted the written statement of Superintendent of Police Akash Tomar through a tweet on Twitter.

Moreover, Dheeraj Ojha is no longer Raniganj’s MLA. Rakesh Verma from the Samajwadi Party beat Ojha for the Raniganj seat in the 2022 Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections.

Thus, based on these evidences, it is confirmed that the viral video is from April 2021, and shows a protest by then BJP MLA Dheeraj Ojha. It’s not a recent incident of police assault. 

Conclusion-  

Fact Crescendo found that the viral video has been shared without proper context. The video is not recent and it dates back to 2021, shows a protest by then BJP MLA Dheeraj Ojha.