West Bengal elections have become a hotspot for communal misinformation as claims suggesting that the Mamata Banerjee government is unsympathetic towards the state’s Hindu population are widespread. In the latest spree is an image of a man pulling a woman’s saree while mute bystanders watch. “In Bengal, the houses of Hindus are burnt, temples are being demolished. Nevertheless the UN shanti duniya silent world only speaks for the Rohingyos. Gaddar will now fight for our brothers. #StandWithBengalHindus,” is the message shared with the image.
Multiple Twitter accounts have circulated the image.
Still from a Bhojpuri movie
The image is a scene from the Bhojpuri movie ‘Aurat Khilona Nahi’, released in 2014. The same image can be seen in a blog post from 2014.
This particular still can be seen at approximately 2 hours and 11 minutes into the movie.
Alt News had debunked this image when it was first circulated by many on social media in July 2017 after riots had broken out in Basirhat in West Bengal. It was shared with a similar claim that a Hindu woman was molested by members of the Muslim community.
Vijeta Malik, who according to her Facebook bio was a state executive member of BJP Haryana, had also shared this image back then with the claim that Hindus were under attack in West Bengal.
In 2018, the same image was falsely shared as a Dalit woman stripped by BSP leader and his goons.
