Old video from Odisha shared as BJP MLA beaten while campaigning in Madhya Pradesh

As campaiging for the upcoming Legislative Assembly elections gains momentum in Madhya Pradesh, a state in central India, several old and unrelated videos are being shared on social media with varying claims.  

The claim

On September 13, 2023, a video was shared on X (formerly Twitter) claiming a crowd attacked a Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MLA while he was campaigning for the upcoming elections. The text on the video (originally in Hindi) reads, "Madhya Pradesh, BJP MLAs and supporters, who went to seek votes in the name of religion, were thrashed by the public. The people of India are waking up, angry with inflation, unemployment, corruption and rape of women, they have started teaching a lesson to BJP."

The video shows a man wearing a red shirt sitting inside the car while a large crowd gathers around him and attempts to attack him. A police officer near the car can be seen trying to manage the crowd, and later, the car can be seen trying to drive away from the crowd as they try to hit it with sticks. The post garnered over 5,000 views, and the archive version can be accessed here and here.

Screenshot of viral video. (Source: X/Screenshot/Modified by Logically Facts)

However, the claim is false. The video is from Odisha, where a Biju Janata Dal (BJD) MLA was attacked in 2022. 

How did we find this?

A reverse image search on one of the video keyframes led us to a video clip shared by ‘OTV’ (Odisha TV) on March 13, 2022. It was titled "WATCH Odisha MLA Prashant Jagdev Drives Into Crowd In Banpur." At the time stamp of 0:13 seconds, we can see the same video clip.

Comparison of viral video and 2022 video from Odisha. (Source: X/YouTube/Screenshot)

News channel Kalinga TV also published a video of the same incident from a different angle on March 12, 2022. It was titled: “Chilika MLA Prashant Jagdev Beaten Up After His Car Mows Down Crowd In Khordha's Banapur | KalingaTV.”

Screenshot of 2022 video of MLA Prashant Jagdev from Banapur, Odisha. (Source: YouTube/Screenshot)

According to a report in The Indian Express, on March 12, 2022, a huge crowd, including BJP supporters, gathered in front of the Banapur Block Development Office (BDO) for the block chairman election. When Prashant Jagdev, MLA from Chilika constituency in Odisha, attempted to drive through the extremely congested road, the crowd immediately stopped him. However, he drove the vehicle through the crowd injuring numerous people. The angry crowd then attacked the BJD MLA and his vehicle, where he sustained serious injuries. He was arrested after he recovered. 

On July 29, 2022, legal news portal Live Law reported that the Supreme Court granted bail to Jagdev in this road rage case but had banned him from addressing any public rally for a year.

The verdict

An old video from Odisha has been falsely linked to the Madhya Pradesh election campaign for the upcoming Legislative Assembly election. The man in the video is a BJD MLA from Chilika constituency, Odisha, not a BJP MLA from Madhya Pradesh.