Old video of an attack on BJP leader Dilip Ghosh goes viral as recent

The video shows an attack on BJP leader Dilip Ghosh in Bhabanipur assembly constituency in September 2021.

Unrest broke out in Murshidabad in West Bengal during protests against the Waqf (Amendment) Act on 11 April. The law has been a contentious issue in the region. The protests turned violent, resulting in the deaths of some people and injuries to several others, with widespread property damage. Against this backdrop, a video featuring a group of people attacking a person was recently shared on social media, with the claim that the attackers were allegedly TMC supporters who surrounded and thrashed BJP leader Dilip Ghosh in Bhabanipur, West Bengal, during the ongoing violence in the state.

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Fact Check-

By performing a reverse image search with the key frames of the viral video led us to a YouTube video Uploaded by HW News English on 27 September, 2021. According to the report, Dilip Ghosh was forced to cut short his door-to-door campaigning for the Bhabanipur Assembly bypoll after protests against him by TMC supporters allegedly turned violent. The caption of the report reads: “‘Kicked, pushed and heckled’: BJP’s Dilip Ghosh cuts short Bhabanipur bypoll campaign | Bengal | TMC”

In further search we found several news reports regarding this incident. As per the Times of India report, “Former West Bengal BJP chief and party national vice-president Dilip Ghosh, who was campaigning for party candidate Priyanka Tibrewal, was pushed and heckled by alleged TMC supporters, provoking his security officer to whip out a pistol. Ghosh, who was whisked away by his security guards, later alleged TMC supporters “attacked” him without provocation and injured a BJP activist”.

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We also came across an NDTV report published on 28 September, 2021 which states, As per the police, he was ‘pushed and heckled by alleged Trinamool supporters in Bhabanipur assembly constituency.

Based on these evidences, we can say that the viral video dates back to 2021, when BJP leader Dilip Ghosh was attacked by TMC supporters during the election campaign in the Bhabanipur assembly constituency. 

Conclusion-

Fact Crescendo found that the claim made along with the viral video to be Misleading. The viral video shows an attack on BJP leader Dilip Ghosh by TMC supporters during the election campaign in the Bhabanipur assembly constituency in September 2021. It is unrelated to the ongoing violence in West Bengal.