(Editor’s Note: The story was published on 21 January 2020 and is being republished from The Quint’s archive in light of the video recirculating ahead of the elections in West Bengal.)
CLAIM
A video showing BJP West Bengal Chief Dilip Ghosh and party supporters being attacked by a mob is being shared on the internet with a claim that the incident happened during the party’s door-to-door outreach as a part of pro-CAA campaign in the Northeast.
“Acche din for BJP in northeast India. During the door to door campaign in the favour of CAA NRC NPR how the people welcoming BJP leaders,” reads the caption along with the video.
The video is also being shared on Twitter with a similar claim.
TRUE OR FALSE
The Quint confirmed that while the video has not been doctored in any manner, the claim with which it is being shared is misleading.
The incident occurred in October 2017 when the Bengal President of the BJP, Dilip Ghosh, along with party cadre, was attacked by activists of the anti-Bimal Gurung faction of the Gorkhaland Janmukti Morcha (GJM) in Darjeeling.
WHAT WE FOUND
A simple Google keyword search using ‘Dilip Ghosh attacked by mob’ directed us to an ABP News news bulletin from 2017. According to the report, Ghosh was attacked by Gorkha supporters in Darjeeling.
We also found several news reports regarding the incident. According to a report by Economic Times, Ghosh was in Darjeeling to hold a Vijay Sammelani Programme when he was attacked.
“The incident occurred when protesters barged into a BJP meeting in a conference hall, asked them to leave and beat them up while chasing them till Darjeeling Sadar police station, where the delegation sought shelter from the angry protesters,” reported The Indian Express.
Clearly, an old video is being shared to claim that the BJP leader, along with supporters, was beaten up during the party’s CAA outreach campaign.
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