Recently a video of a policeman being surrounded by a group of people while the former trying to flee went viral on social media. Sharing the video users claimed that the incident took place recently in Nadiya District, West Bengal. According to the caption, a policeman was beaten up by the rioters in Nadiya District, West Bengal.
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However, as we investigated, we came to know that the claim was misleading. The video is old and not related to the recent violence in West Bengal. Here’s the fact check.
Fact Check
We started our investigation by taking some screenshots from the viral video and conducting a reverse image search. We found the same video uploaded on a Facebook page on 23 June 2019. The translation of the Bengali caption of the post reads, “A policeman jumped into a roadside pit to save his life as an angry mob chased him in Gournagar of Nabadwip police station in Nadia district.”
Taking this clue we conducted a relevant keyword search. This led us to a report published in The Times of India on 24 June 2019. The report contained an image similar to the screenshots from the viral video. The report read, “Cops hid behind roadside bushes to save themselves from a mob after a youth was killed in a road accident in Nadia’s Nabadwip on Sunday morning. The mob blocked Nabadwip-Krishnanagar State Road for nearly three hours and the accident spot turned into a battlefield between the protesters and police. Locals claimed that the accident took place because of extortion by the local police. As the cops were chasing a sand-laden truck near Gouranga Bridge, its driver tried to speed away and hit the victim’s cycle. Police sources said the victim, Jhantu Mandal (20), was a vegetable seller and a resident of Anandabas village under Kotwali police station in Nadia. The police rushed the spot and took the victim to Nabadwip Hospital where doctors declared him brought dead. His body was sent for autopsy.”
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This makes it clear that the viral video is old and not related to the recent violence in West Bengal.
Conclusion
From our investigation, we can say that the claim is misleading. The viral video is old. The viral video shows a policeman hiding behind roadside bushes to save himself from a mob after a youth was killed in a road accident in Nadiya District’s Nabadwip in June 2019. This has no link to the recent violence in West Bengal.
Title:Old Unrelated Video Going Viral As Attack On Policeman In West Bengal Recently.
Fact Check By: Debanjana BaishyaResult: Misleading
