A video of a skirmish between some people in uniform and saffron attire is being shared on social media with a claim that it was taken recently in West Bengal, where cops attacked ISKCON devotees.
Facebook users shared the video with a caption: “*ममता बानो के धर्म निरपेक्ष बंगाल में आपका स्वागत है। ISKON के भक्तों को बंगाल की पुलिस द्वारा “श्री मद् भागवत गीता” को बांटने पर पीटा गया।.” (English translation: Welcome to Mamata Bano’s secular Bengal. ISKON devotees beaten by Bengal police for distributing Shri Mad Bhagwat Geeta)
Here’s the link to the above post.
FACT-CHECK
NewsMobile fact-checked the post, and found it to be false.
While looking for similar posts on Facebook, we found that multiple users have shared the same video, with a similar caption, in 2018 and 2019, too.
The same video was also uploaded on YouTube in 2018; but as per the title, the video was from Goa.
We could see ‘Goa Police’ written on the vehicle.
The same video was traced in a Reddit thread from 2013.
A newsletter had also mentioned about the same incident from 2008 on a website — The Goan Voice.
The same had been reported in an article in heraldgoa.in, dated November 26, 2008.
We found the archive of a 2008 article published on the website oheraldo.in.
As per the article, eight Russian members of the Hare Ram Hare Krishna sect clashed with Mapusa police in Goa after the latter, responding to the complaints by locals, tried to stop the group. They were later arrested by police.
Now, it is clear that the video is from 2008, and was taken in Goa. Hence, the claim that it was taken recently in West Bengal is FAKE.
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