A video depicting Congress MP from Bengaluru Rural D K Suresh slamming police for allegedly blocking his vehicle during his election campaign in Karnataka is viral on social media. The video shows the MP warning the cops of getting them transferred if they didn’t listen to him.
BJP leader and leader of Opposition in the Karnataka Assembly R Ashoka shared the viral clip on X (formerly Twitter) and stated that the Congress MP’s behaviour was an example of hooliganism. He wrote, “Look what is going to happen today in Kanakapura under your watch. While all the policemen are doing their duty, (D K Suresh) asks them ‘Are you standing in a bullock fair?’ Is this Gandhigiri or gunda-giri?” (Archive)
Suresh’s brother, D K Shivakumar, is the Congress MLA from Kanakapura constituency in Karnataka and the deputy chief minister of the state.
Mr. @Dr_Yathindra_S ಅವರೇ, ನಿನ್ನೆ ನಿಮ್ಮ ತಂದೆ @siddaramaiah ನವರ ಗೂಂಡಾಗಿರಿಯ ಸ್ಯಾಂಪಲ್ ನೋಡಿದಿರಿ.
ಇವತ್ತು ನಿಮ್ಮ ಕನಕಪುರ ಪಾಳೇಗಾರರ ದಾದಾಗಿರಿ ನೋಡಿ.
ಕರ್ತವ್ಯ ಮಾಡುತ್ತಿರುವ ಪೊಲೀಸರಿಗೆ “ಏಯ್ ಎತ್ತಂಗಡಿ ಆಗ್ತೀಯ…” ಎಂದು ಧಮ್ಕಿ ಹಾಕುವುದು ನಿಮ್ಮ ಪ್ರಕಾರ ಗಾಂಧಿಗಿರಿನಾ ಅಥವಾ ಗೂಂಡಾಗಿರಿನಾ? pic.twitter.com/p2Qu4GGFvy
— R. Ashoka (ಮೋದಿ ಅವರ ಕುಟುಂಬ) (@RAshokaBJP) March 29, 2024
India Today journalist, Nabila Jamal (@nabilajamal_) also shared the viral clip on X. The tweet was later deleted by Jamal and an apology was issued by her.
The video was also posted on the official YouTube channel of ‘So South’, a digital platform run by the India Today Group, which covers news and the latest trends in south India.
Fact Check
A keyword search on Google led us to a YouTube video titled, “DK Suresh Slams Police | ಏಯ್ ಪೊಲೀಸ್ ಅಡ್ಡಹಾಕಿ ನಿಲ್ಲಿಸಿ ಬಿಡ್ತೇನೆ ಹುಷಾರಾಗಿರು.. ಎತ್ತಂಗಡಿ ಆಗ್ಬಿಡ್ತೀಯಾ?” which was posted by News 18 Kannada on May 6, 2023. This shows that the incident is from 2023 and is not related to the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.
According to a 2023 report published by News 18 Kannada, the incident happened in Bommanahalli constituency in Bengaluru, Karnataka. It took place while Suresh was campaigning for Bommanahalli Congress candidate Umapati Srinivas Gowda just before the Karnataka assembly elections in 2023. The report stated that “The incident took place during campaigning in Hongasandra of Bommanahalli constituency, and the video was captured on the local’s mobile.” The report further added that the police prevented Suresh’s campaign vehicle from proceeding and diverted it to a different route in order to avoid a traffic jam.
Media outlets like Oneindia Kannada and Vijayavani also posted the video on their official YouTube channels on May 7, 2023.
Social media users like @iamsuneelblr and @95bac2b083c44e3 also shared the video on X back in 2023.
To sum up, users have shared an old video depicting Congress MP DK Suresh slamming Karnataka police for preventing his campaign vehicle from proceeding falsely claiming that the incident occurred while Suresh was campaigning in Bengaluru ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha polls. Our fact check revealed that the video is from May 2023.
Abira Das is an intern at Alt News.
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