Old Brazil Video Used to Claim BJP Worker ‘Hacked to Death’ in WB

The claim along with the video states that it shows how BJP worker Uttam Ghosh was beaten to death by TMC workers.

An old video from 2018 is being shared on social media to falsely claim that it shows how BJP worker Uttam Ghosh was dragged and beaten to death by workers of Trinamool Congress (TMC).

This comes in the backdrop of post-poll violence which was reported from across the state of West Bengal, as the TMC won the recently concluded Assembly polls.

As per news reports, Uttam Ghosh was allegedly killed in post-poll violence. However, the viral video is from an incident that took place in Brazil.

CLAIM

The message is attributed to one Uttam Ghosh’s wife and the claim shared along with the video reads: “मेरे पति को घर से घसीट कर ले गए टीएमसी के लोग और बोले अब बोल जय श्री राम अब कहां है तेरे भाजपा वाले अब कहां है तेरे हिंदू अब कौन तुझे बचाएगा यह कह कर उन्होंने मेरे पति को गंगापुर राणाघाट पर मार दिया, उत्तम घोष की पत्नी(बंगाल) दैनिक भास्कर अखबार के इंटरव्यू का अंश!”

(Translated: People of TMC dragged my husband out of the house and said, 'Now say Jai Shri Ram, where are your BJP people, where are your Hindus, who will save you?’ They killed my husband at Gangapur Ranaghat after saying this – Uttam Ghosh (Bengal) wife ... Dainik Bhaskar newspaper interview excerpt!)

(The Quint has not included the video in this story because of its graphic nature.)

Several social media users shared the video on Facebook and Twitter with a similar claim.

WHAT WE FOUND OUT

We performed a reverse image search and found out that the video is not from India but is instead from Brazil, of an incident that occurred in 2018.

According to a report, the victim, identified as 17-year-old Wesley Tiago de Sousa Carvalho, was lynched in the tourist district of Praia do Futuro, in Fortaleza. Investigators at the time dismissed claims that Carvalho was killed because of his sexual orientation and gender identity and instead said it was a settling of accounts between gangs.

Online platforms such as Esquerda Diario had also published an article in 2018 carrying similar visual as in the viral video.

The video itself also makes clear that the incident did not take place in India, let alone West Bengal, because of the foreign language being spoken by the attackers and the victim, as well as different facial features.

As per an article by The Wire, BJP worker Uttam Ghosh was allegedly killed by rival party workers post West Bengal assembly elections.

The Quint’s WebQoof’s team had debunked the viral video in 2019 that was being falsely claimed to be from India.

We have verified several old photos and videos that are being shared with hashtags like #BengalisBurning, #PresidentsRuleInBengal, #KhelaHobe. You can read our reports here.

(Not convinced of a post or information you came across online and want it verified? Send us the details on WhatsApp at 9643651818, or e-mail it to us at [e-mail] and we'll fact-check it for you. You can also read all our fact-checked stories here.)