Amid the Lok Sabha election campaigns in West Bengal, a disturbing video has surfaced on the social media, showing villagers armed with bamboo sticks chasing a woman. The viral video claims that Sujata Khan, the TMC candidate from Bishnupur, faced the villagers’ anger for allegedly intimidating voters. Sujata Mondal, also known as Sujata Khan and ex-wife of Bishnupur BJP MP Soumitra Khan, allegedly threatened voters with a halt in civic amenities if they voted for BJP in the upcoming Lok Sabha polls. This incident is being portrayed as a consequence of her threat.
The video is shared on Facebook with a caption: “*ಏನಿದೂ..?? ಗೊತ್ತಾಯ್ತಾ..?? ಪಶ್ಚಿಮ ಬಂಗಾಳದ ಬಿಷ್ಣಾಪುರ್ ಟಿ ಎಂ ಸಿ ಅಭ್ಯರ್ಥಿ ಸುಜಾತಾ ಖಾನ್ ರಾಕ್ಷಸಿ… ಆರಂಭಾಗ್ ಗೆ ತೆರಳಿ ಅಲ್ಲಿನ ಮತದಾರರನ್ನು ಬೆದರಿಸಿ “ಓಟು ಹಾಕದಿದ್ದರೆ ಪರಿಣಾಮ ಗಂಭೀರ ವಾಗುತ್ತದೆ” ಎಂದದ್ದೇ ತಡ>>> ಅವಳನ್ನು ಮತ್ತು ಅವಳ ಬೆಂಬಲಿಗರನ್ನು ಆ ಕ್ಷೇತ್ರ ದಿಂದ ದೊಣ್ಣೆಗಳಿಂದ ಬಡಿದು ಓಡಿಸಿದರು..!!! ಹಿಂದೂಗಳು ಎಚ್ಚರವಾಗಿದ್ದಾರೆ..!!!!” (English version: See below.)
Here’s the link to the above post.
FACT CHECK
NewsMobile fact-checked the above claim, and found it to be MISLEADING.
Running the viral video keyframes through Reverse Image Search, our team traced a report by The Quint, dated April 6, 2021, detailing the assault on TMC’s candidate Sujata Mondal. The report, including screenshots from the viral video, highlighted that Mondal, TMC’s candidate from Arambagh, was allegedly assaulted by a group at Arandi’s booth number 263. TMC has accused the BJP of orchestrating the attack.
According to reports from India Today and NDTV, TMC supremo Mamata Banerjee responded by taking a jibe at the incident. She remarked, “We shall take legal action against such central force personnel. We shall file an FIR. They talk about Beti Bachao and beat up my woman candidate Sujata Mondal, who is also an SC candidate.”
On April 6, 2021, news agency ANI tweeted Sujata’s statement following the incident, where she alleged that at booth number 45, votes intended for TMC went to BJP. Furthermore, we also found the extended version of the original video, posted by the official YouTube channel of Anandabazar Patrika. It shows Sujata Mondal engaging with some villagers, who subsequently confront her with bamboo sticks.
Thus, it is evident from the above information that a video from 2021 showing a TMC leader being chased by a crowd is falsely shared as a recent incident.
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