Fake Posts Claiming Muslims Thrashed Brahmin Man Resurface

The same video had gone viral with the same claim in 2017 as well.

(Note: The story was first published on 1 May 2019 and has been republished in light of the video resurfacing on social media with a similar claim ahead of the West Bengal Assembly Elections.)

CLAIM

A video of an old man getting heckled by a crowd has been doing the rounds on social media, claiming that he is a ‘Brahmin’ man getting beaten up by Muslims in West Bengal.

The claim along with the video, viral on social media platforms WhatsApp, Facebook and Twitter, says:

“Muslims beating one Brahman in WB in front of his daughter. During Pooja in his house, the bell sound should not heard by any body. This is common in West Bengal in Muslim dominated areas. No media is covering the atrocities on Hindus. Whereas human rights wings are crying for shelter of Rohingya Muslims in India.”

https://t.co/0i0BeqqHRz Muslims beating one Brahman in WB in front of his daughter .
During Pooja in his house , the bell sound should not heard by anybody

— Chowkidar Rajesh Shetty (@RajeshS08559875) April 30, 2019

The crowd in the video is heard talking in Bangla. After getting beaten up by the crowd, the old man in the video is forced take rounds of the area.

FACT

The claim circulated along with the video is fake, and the video is of an old incident.

It was circulated in 2017 as well with the same claim. The Kolkata police, however, had called out the claims and clarified that the video is from another incident altogether.

According to their Facebook post from 23 September 2017, the man, identified as a priest, was beaten up by the crowd for allegedly molesting a girl. The crowd consisted of the girl’s family members.

“One video is posted on social media by people with vested interest with incorrect narrative. This is a wrong and mischievous. This priest was manhandled by the family members of the victim girl where he allegedly molested her during a household puja,” their post read.

It’s therefore clear that the incident is two years old, and the story is being shared with mischievous intent.

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