A two-minute clip of a crowd breaking into a polling booth has been shared by several Twitter users with the claim that it shows an incident from West Bengal’s Cooch Behar. “Excellent job done by CRPF in pushing away the goons,” reads the message.
Twitter user @TNSubbaRao posted the video on April 12. Since then it has been viewed over 10,000 times.
Mamata Banerjee’s supporters mob storming a polling booth in coochbihar, West Bengal.
EXCELLENT job done by the CRPF in pushing away the goons…#WestBengalPolls pic.twitter.com/WTu2W4IzPD
тАФ Subba Rao ЁЯЗоЁЯЗ│ЁЯЗоЁЯЗ│ (@TNSubbaRao1) April 12, 2021
Some Facebook users have posted the video along with Bengali text (1, 2) that alleges the video shows violence in Cooch Behar’s Sitalkuchi where four people were killed in CISF firing. One Haradhan Ghosh’s post gained over 50,000 views before it was taken down.
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рж╢рзАрждрж▓ржХрзБржЪрж┐рж░ ржПржХржЯрж┐ ржмрзБржерзЗрж░ ржПржХржЯрж┐ ржЫрзЛржЯрзНржЯ ржнрж┐ржбрж┐ржУ, ржжрзЗржЦрзЗ ржирж┐ржи рж╕рзЗ рж╕ржорзЯ ржХрзЗржоржи ржкрж░рж┐рж╕рзНржерж┐рждрж┐ ржЫрж┐рж▓рее
#ржнрзЛржЯржжрж╛ржиржХрж╛рж░рзА ржЖрж░ #ржнрзЛржЯрж▓рзБржаржХрж╛рж░рзАрж░ ржоржзрзНржпрзЗ ржпржжрж┐ ржЖржорж░рж╛ ржкрж╛рж░рзНржержХрзНржп ржХрж░рждрзЗ ржирж╛ ржкрж╛рж░рж┐ ржПржмржВ рж╕ржм ржЧрзБрж▓рж┐рзЯрзЗ ржлрзЗрж▓рж┐ рждржмрзЗ ржХрж┐ржирзНрждрзБ ржЖржорж░рж╛ ржЖржмрж╛рж░ ржнрзБрж▓ ржХрж░ржмрееPosted by Bhaskar Samanta on Monday, 12 April 2021
Fact-check
After performing multiple reverse image searches we found that the video in question was uploaded in 2019 on YouTube. Around the 20-second mark, a text appears on the video that states it’s from Kyamgei Muslim village in Manipur. This led us to report by The Indian Express from April 18, 2019. “CRPFтАЛ personnel opened blank fire and resorted to lathi-charge to disperse a crowd in ManipurтАЛ. The crowd allegedly tried to barge into Kyamgei Muslim Makha Leikaik polling station of Inner Manipur seat,” according to the report. The incident pertains to the 2019 general elections.
East Mojo and Firstpost had also reported on the incident. East Mojo’s tweet said, “Voters get angry and storm into polling booth destroying EVMs and VVPAT machines following alleged EVM malfunction at 6/10 Kyamgei Muslim Makha Leikai polling station.”
#Manipur: Voters get angry and storm into polling booth destroying EVMs and VVPAT machines following alleged EVM malfunction at 6/10 Kyamgei Muslim Makha Leikai polling station@CeoManipur #Elections #DoTheVote#ElectionsOnTwitter#LokSabhaELections2019 pic.twitter.com/tGToQjL7Z0
тАФ EastMojo (@EastMojo) April 18, 2019
Firstpost tweeted a different video from the same location.
Thus, a video of violence during polling in the 2019 elections was shared with the false claim that it shows the violence that took place in West Bengal’s Cooch Behar. The incident is from Manipur’s Kiyamgei Muslim Makha Leikai.
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