A video of a mob carrying Bharatiya Janata Party flags and scarves, vandalising a house has gone viral on social media with the false claim that the incident took place in the poll-bound West Bengal.
We found that the viral video actually shows the BJP workers attacking the house of Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) MLA Challa Dharma Reddy in Hanamkonda, Telangana, following his remarks on the donations being collected for the Ram Mandir in Ayodhya.
CLAIM
The video was shared on Facebook with the claim, “अगर किसान दिल्ली में दंगा फैला रहे हैं तो क्या BJP बंगाल में शांति की स्थापना करने में लगी हुई है”
(Translation: “If farmers are rioting in Delhi, is BJP engaged in establishing peace in Bengal?”)
WHAT WE FOUND OUT
A reverse image search of one of the keyframes led us to a report by The News Minute, carrying stills from a video of the attack. The incident took place in Telangana and not West Bengal, as claimed.
Similar visuals were reported by local news channels like ETV Telangana and Telangana9 News24x7.
The Quint’s WebQoof team also reached out to SHO Chandrashekhar of Hanamkonda police station in Warangal, where the incident took place, who confirmed that the video was indeed from Telangana.
The SHO added that on 31 January, some BJP workers threw stones at TRS MLA from Parkal, Challa Dharma Reddy’s house. The accused were arrested on 1 February.
According to the TNM’s report as well, BJP workers broke windows, pelted stones and chairs, while chanting, ‘Jai Shree Ram,’ at the MLA’s house.
The attack comes in light of the remarks made by Reddy on the Ram Mandir. He had earlier questioned BJP leaders why the people of Telangana should donate for the temple, when they already “have Lord Rama in Bhadrachalam.”
He had also questioned why no accounts were being made on the donations received and accused BJP of politicising the issue, while stating that he wasn’t against the construction of the temple.
The Times of India also reported that the police had detained 45 activists for the vandalism, who were sent to a 14-day judicial remand by a local court. These included BJP’s Warangal (Urban) President Ravu Padma, Warangal (Rural) President K Sridhar and Goshamahal MLA T Raja Singh.
Evidently, a video of an attack which took place in Telangana has been falsely shared as an incident in West Bengal.
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