Old Darjeeling video shared claiming Manipur locals assaulted BJP leaders

(Editor's Note: This story was first published on July 24, 2023, and is being republished from Logically Facts' archives in light of the video resurfacing on social media.)

(Trigger warning: This article contains mention of sexual assault. Reader discretion is advised.)

Context

After a video of a mob parading two naked women from the Kuki-Zomi community and subjecting them to sexual assault in Manipur went viral last week, videos unrelated to the ethnic clashes in the state are making rounds on social media. The video has led to protests nationwide, with people blaming the government for not taking proper action in curbing the Manipur violence that started May 3. 

Amid this, a video of a few men wearing saffron scarves and heckling has been circulating on social media. It is being claimed that the incident is from Manipur and locals have "realized the reality of BJP and RSS leaders." The viral video shows a mob chasing and assaulting a group of men as they try to run away. One user shared the video on Twitter and wrote, ”The people of Manipur have recognized BJP & RSS Democracy that soon other countries will also do the same.” The post has gained over 180k views and 685 likes. An archived version of the post can be found here.

However, the claim is misleading and the video is not from Manipur. 

In Fact

A reverse image search on the keyframes of the viral video led us to several YouTube videos that stated it was captured in Darjeeling in 2017. A similar video was uploaded on a YouTube channel named NMF News on October 6, 2017, with the title, “Bengal BJP Chief Dilip Ghosh thrashed, BJP workers thrashed in Darjeeling.” We compared both videos and found they show the same incident. According to the description of the YouTube video, former Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Bengal president Dilip Ghosh was allegedly manhandled in Darjeeling.

According to an ABP News report dated October 6, 2017, Ghosh was manhandled and chased in Darjeeling by protestors. The protestors were supporters of the expelled Gorkha Janmukti Morcha (GJM) leader Binay Tamang. The report included a video of the attack on Ghosh, captured from a different angle. 

Tamang was expelled from GJM in September 2017 for violating party lines and alleged anti-party activities. GJP supremo Bimal Gurung convened the announcement. GJM was a part of the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) till 2020. 

An Indian Express report published on October 6, 2017, also confirmed that Tamang supporters had allegedly heckled and chased Ghosh in Darjeeling. 

The Verdict

An old video of Ghosh being attacked is being falsely shared with the claim that the people of Manipur are seen thrashing a BJP leader in the video. In reality, supporters of expelled Tamang heckled and chased Ghosh in Darjeeling in 2017. The viral video is unrelated to the ongoing violence in Manipur. Therefore, we have marked this claim as misleading.