A video of a woman dancing to peppy music is widely viral on social media. On the dais behind the dancer, one can see ‘Justice for R G Kar’ posters. The clip is being shared with the claim that it is from a protest organised by the BJP against the rape and murder in the state-run hospital in Kolkata.

Since the junior doctor was found raped and murdered on August 9, protests, marches and demonstrations seeking accountability from the government and swift punishment of the perpetrator/s have been organised by various social and political groups and other civic institutions in Kolkata, Bengal and beyond. The video is being shared in that context. Users have slammed the BJP and called the event ‘shameful’, ‘sickening’, ‘disgusting’.

Trinamool Congress Rajya Sabha member and national spokesperson Saket Gokhale shared the video on X (formerly Twitter). He wrote, “𝐒𝐢𝐜𝐤𝐞𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠! This is allegedly from a “protest for RG Kar” organized by BJP in Bengal. Is THIS BJP’s idea of “respecting women”? Creepy BJP misogynists hijacked a protest for political agendas with ZERO concern for the victim or any woman.”

Another X user named Bhavika Kapoor tweeted the video saying, “BJP can protest in its’ own unique style👌🏼Here BJP guys are protesting in West Bengal against RG Kar case. Background banners say “we want justice”. Protest hindutvavadi style 🚩😑”

Congress leader Supriya Shrinate quote-tweeted the above tweet and amplified it.

Others who shared the video and slammed the BJP included author Ashok Kumar Pandey (@Ashok_Kashmir), Trinamool Congress spokesperson Riju Dutta (@DrRijuDutta_TMC), Bengal Trinamool youth secretary Sayan Deb Chatterjee (@SAYANDEBCHATT), a verified user named তন্ময় l T͞anmoy l (@tanmoyofc) and several otehrs.

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The video was also shared on Facebook with users linking it to the BJP.

India Today published a report on the video pointing out that the BJP had denied any links with the programme.

Fact Check

On careful inspection, we noticed a banner at the rear wall of the stage which had the word ‘Mela’ or fair in Bengali. We also saw that several users had commented on the above social media posts saying it was a village fair. One can see a Ferris wheel and lights of different bright colours a little distance away from the stage which suggest it is indeed a fair ground.

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Digging deeper, we did a keyword search on Facebook and found a post by a user named Pijush Bhowmick who responded to the viral claims but only said that the video was being misinterpreted. In his Facebook post, Bhowmick shared another post by a dance teacher named Debastuti Debnath.

Alt News contacted Bhowmick over phone. He told us that the video was not from a BJP protest but a village fair of which he’s an organizing member. The fair is organized by a local club named Sevak Samiti during Maa Manasa Puja every year at Char Bhrahmanagar in Nabadwip police station area in Bengal’s Nadia district. The area is under CMCB gram panchayat of Nabadwip block. The panchayat is currently held by the ruling Trinamool Congress.

Manasa is the Hindu folkloric deity of snakes. She is worshiped in the month of Shravan primarily by women in Bengal and also in Odisha and Andhra Pradesh. Rural fairs are organized in several parts of Bengal in the month of August during Manasa Puja.

Bhowmick further stated, “The dates of the fair are fixed. It is held during Maa Manasa Puja, which was on August 17 this year. This time, we decided that we should use the fair to spread our message of protest against the R G Kar incident. Hence, the posters were affixed on the stage. The fair was held from August 17 to 22. The particular dance performance that has gone viral was held on August 19.”

“There is no political intervention in the fair. And it is not a protest organized by any party. The fair draws a large number of people and local tradesmen. We are also disturbed by what happened at the R G Kar hospital and hence we thought it would be fit to amplify our demand for justice through the fair,” he added.

He also shared with us a photo of the dais where the banner can be clearly seen:

It says, “Jai Maa Manasa. Maa Manasa and Behula-Lakhinder Mela on the bank of the Ganges. Date: Five days from 31 Sravana. Place: Char Brahmanagar Sevak Samiti Ground and Ganga River bank. Organized by Sevak Samiti.” The banner also has a photo of the deity.

Behula and Lakhinder are the protagonists of the Manasa Mangal Kavya, a long narrative poem in Bengali retold several times by several poets in the 14th Century, which has now become part of folklore. The poem describes the beginning of the cult of Manasa, the deity.

Bhowmick also shared with us a wide-angle shot of the stage. There is no BJP flag seen anywhere on or beside the stage.

We also procured photos of last year’s fair, held from August 17 to 21, where the same banner was used. This confirms that this is not an event organized this year to protest against a recent incident. In the gallery below, the photos along with their metadata can be seen. They were clicked on August 19 and 21, 2023.

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The Facebook post that Bhowmick shared had a dance teacher named Debastuti Debnath thanking the organizers of the fair for inviting them to perform. In an attached video, a girl from the dance troupe says standing on the same dais, “…We are glad that these posters have been put up.. we have to speak up against the horrific crime.. Everyone is protesting against it. This fight is not only of the victim…” The group also observes a minute’s silence in honor of the victim.

We spoke to the dance teacher. She told Alt News, “We have been performing at this event for at least six years. I have never seen any political involvement in the fair. I can confirm that it is not a political programme.”

Another member of the organizing committee, Rahul Saha, told us, “The fair is being held for 15-16 years. There is no political party involved. It primarily attracts local women. Many girls from our village also go out to other places for study or work. Hence, it was decided that we should send out a message. We also switched off all the lights for 15 minutes on one of the days in honour of the slain doctor at R G Kar hospital.”

We saw another video of the fair ground where people can be seen watching a dance performance on the stage. There is no protest going on.

To sum up, several Trinamool Congress-linked social media handles have falsely shared a video of a village fair from Nabadwip in Bengal claiming it’s a protest organized by the BJP against the R G Kar incident.

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About the Author

Indradeep, a journalist with over 10 years' experience in print and digital media, is a Senior Editor at Alt News. Earlier, he has worked with The Times of India and The Wire. Politics and literature are among his areas of interest.