BJP leaders share photo from Jharkhand as CISF jawan injured in West Bengal violence

[Warning: This article carries a photograph that may be distressing for some. Reader’s discretion is advised.]

Sitalkuchi constituency in Cooch Behar, West Bengal went into polling on April 10. Four people lost their lives in firing by CISF in Sitalkuchi during the fourth phase of voting. While Cooch Behar SP said that the firing was an act of ‘self-defence’, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has blamed the Home Ministry under Amit Shah.

In the backdrop of the Sitalkuchi violence, a photograph of a wounded CISF personnel is being widely shared by BJP leaders, including Suvendu Adhikari.

চতুর্থ দফার ভোটের দিন কোচবিহারের শীতলকুচি-তে @CISFHQrs সিআইএসএফ জওয়ানদের উপর হামলা চালায় @AITCofficial তৃণমূল আশ্রিত দুষ্কৃতীরা।

বন্দুক ছিনিয়ে নেওয়ার চেষ্টা করা হয়।

গুরুতর জখম হন এক জওয়ান।

তাই আত্মরক্ষার্থে গুলি চালাতে বাধ্য হয় কেন্দ্রীয় বাহিনী। pic.twitter.com/g3HM1rwe4T

— Suvendu Adhikari • শুভেন্দু অধিকারী (@SuvenduWB) April 11, 2021

Another BJP leader and Member Lok Sabha Saumitra Khan shared the same picture and claimed it shows a CISF soldier who was seriously injured in Sitalkuchi. BJP MP Arjun Singh shared the picture on Facebook and Twitter. He too later took down his posts. It is noteworthy that none of the posts has any mention of the four people who died in the CISF firing.

Santosh Ranjan Rai‏, the national Vice President of BJP Yuva Morcha, also tweeted the image.

Fact-check

With a simple Google reverse image search, Alt News came across an article by Dainik Jagran published on April 10, 2021. The article says that the man in the viral image is ASI SP Sharma. According to this article, ASI SP Sharma was attacked by ‘langurs’ on Friday night while on duty at the CISF camp at Bhimkanari in Baghmara, Jharkhand. The ASI was attacked by four langurs and left with a deep wound on his cheek. He was rushed to a nearby hospital.

Monday Morning Newspaper also reported on the incident.

CISF headquarters, Dhanbad confirmed to Boomlive that the image is from Baghmara when SP Sharma was attacked by a langur.

Several BJP leaders shared an unrelated picture of an injured CISF jawan with the false claim that he was attacked during poll violence in West Bengal’s Sitalkuchi. But the image was taken a day before in Jharkhand.