Old video of attack on West Bengal BJP leader falsely linked to 2024 Lok Sabha polls

What is the claim?

A video circulating on social media purportedly shows Anirban Ganguly, a Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) candidate from Jadavpur, a Lok Sabha constituency in Kolkata, West Bengal, being attacked by locals during the current Lok Sabha polls.

The video depicts armed military personnel and bodyguards escorting Ganguly to a vehicle, pursued by a stick-wielding mob. One user shared the video on X (previously known as Twitter), writing, "BJP Lok Sabha candidate Anirban Ganguly, from Jadavpur, West Bengal, received a 'slipper treatment' from the locals."

The video features a Hindi text overlay stating "over 400," referring to the BJP's goal of winning 400 seats in the ongoing elections. Archived versions of these posts can be found here and here.

Screenshots of the viral posts. (Source: X/Modified by Logically Facts)

However, the claim is misleading. The video, which dates back to 2021, shows an attack on Ganguly in Bolpur, a city in West Bengal's Birbhum district, during the state Assembly election. This incident is unrelated to the current Lok Sabha election.

How did we find the truth?

We conducted a reverse image search on the video's keyframes and discovered that the incident occurred in 2021.

Local news outlet Sangbad Pratidin posted a more extended version of the viral clip on its YouTube channel (archive here) on April 29, 2021, titled "BJP candidate from Bolpur Anirban Ganguly's convoy attacked at Ilambazar, Birbhum." The viral clip is a segment from the 2:03-minute original video, specifically from the 0:25 to 0:55-minute mark.

According to an April 29, 2021, report by Anandabazar Patrika, the incident took place during the 2021 state Assembly polls. Ganguly, the BJP candidate for the Bolpur Assembly seat, was attacked by a mob armed with bamboo sticks on the final day of the elections. The BJP claimed that Trinamool Congress (TMC) workers attacked Ganguly in the Illambazar area of Bolpur upon his arrival. However, the TMC denied allegations that their party workers were involved in the attack.

An April 2021 report by The Indian Express depicted a scene similar to the one in the viral video, detailing clashes between BJP and TMC workers following an attack on Ganguly. According to the police, two individuals were injured in the ensuing violence.

In the 2021 Assembly polls, Ganguly, representing Bolpur, was defeated by TMC candidate Chandranath Sinha. Currently, he is vying for the Lok Sabha seat in Jadavpur, West Bengal, in the ongoing 2024 Lok Sabha elections against TMC candidate Saayoni Ghosh.

The verdict

A dated video showing an attack on BJP leader Anirban Ganguly during the 2021 Assembly elections in West Bengal has been falsely linked to the current Lok Sabha elections. The incident, which took place in the Illambazar area of Bolpur and involved a mob attacking him with bamboo sticks, is unrelated to the ongoing elections. Consequently, we have marked the claim as misleading.