A video widely circulated on social media is being shared with the claim that it depicts Karnataka Congress workers attempting to set fire to an effigy of Prime Minister Modi, instead, their own lungis catch fire. The clip is viral with the Bengali caption, “কর্ণাটকে প্রধান মন্ত্রী নরেন্দ্র মোদীর কুশপুতুল পোড়াতে এসে কংগ্রেসের কর্মীদের নিজেদের লুঙ্গিতে আগুন লেগে গেল। পেট্রোলের ছোঁয়া পেয়ে মুহূর্তেই আগুন জোরালো। যত ছোটাছুটি, তত আগুনের তেজ বাড়ে। শেষ খবরে বেশ কয়েকজন হাসপাতালে। দেখুন এই চমৎকার লুঙ্গি ডান্স। (Karnataka Congress worker tried to burn Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s effigy and their own lungis caught fire. The fire turned strong as soon as it touched petrol. The fire grew stronger as everyone ran haywire. As per the latest report, several people are hospitalised. Watch the lungi dance.)” On a Facebook page ‘I Support BJP for Bengal’, the video was posted on May 20 and attracted 25,000 views.
কর্ণাটকে প্রধান মন্ত্রী নরেন্দ্র মোদীর কুশপুতুল পোড়াতে এসে কংগ্রেসের কর্মীদের নিজেদের লুঙ্গিতে আগুন লেগে গেল। পেট্রোলের ছোঁয়া পেয়ে মুহূর্তেই আগুন জোরালো। যত ছোটাছুটি, তত আগুনের তেজ বাড়ে। শেষ খবরে বেশ কয়েকজন হাসপাতালে। দেখুন এই চমৎকার লুঙ্গি ডান্স।
Posted by I Support BJP for Bengal on Monday, 20 May 2019
The video is viral on Facebook with the identical Bengali text.
A few individual users have also circulated it in English.
Video viral since last month
The same clip was also viral in April with the Hindi caption – “कर्नाटक में मोदी जी का पुतला जलाने गए कांग्रेसियों के 5 जनों के धोती में लगी आग मोदी जी के पुतले में भी कितना दम है (Karnataka Congress’s activists wanted to burn Modi’s effigy. Five of the activists got their lungis burnt while trying to kindle the effigy.)” It was suggested that the Congress activists were protesting against Prime Minister Narendra Modi by setting his effigy on fire. While trying to light up the effigy, the activists ended up accidentally immolating themselves.
कर्नाटक में मोदी जी का पुतला जलाने गए कांग्रेसियों के 5 जनों के धोती में लगी आग मोदी जी के पुतले में भी कितना दम है 🖕
Posted by Deepak Jadoun on Monday, 15 April 2019
This video was circulated on Facebook, Twitter and WhatsApp alike with the same narrative.
Old, unrelated video
Alt News found that the video dates back to 2012 and the incident is not pertinent to Congress activists burning PM Modi’s effigy. We found an extended video of the stated incident posted by regional media outlets based in Kerala. According to the report, these are Kerala Students Union (KSU) workers protesting against the vice chancellor of MG University, Pathanimthitta district in southern Kerala. The video of the news report is posted below:
An old, unrelated video was shared by pro-BJP social media users to take potshots at the Congress party ahead of the second phase of polling on April 18 and also after all the phases of polling were concluded.
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