Fact Check: Does viral video show BJP voter cutting off a finger from regret?

Those sharing the video claim that he chopped off his finger due to regret after voting for the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) as the person can be allegedly heard taking the name of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. A Facebook user shared the video (viewer discretion is advised) claiming that he cut off the finger he used to cast the vote for the BJP.

An X user shared the same video, claiming that the person in the video regrets voting for the Congress Party in Tamil Nadu.

“In Tamil Nadu, a man cut off his finger because he had voted for Congress with this finger and was upset over not getting justice from the Congress government. He is saying that he made a big mistake by not voting for the Modi government (translated from Hindi),” read the caption.

Fact Check

NewsMeter found that the claim is false. The man in the viral video is identified as Dhananjay Nanaware. He reportedly cut off his finger over police inaction after his brother and sister-in-law committed suicide on August 1.

We ran a keyword search and came across a report by Mid-Day of August 19, titled “Thane: Man chops off finger to protest police inaction in brother’s suicide case.”

The report carried a screengrab from the viral video. It identified the man as Dhananjay Nanaware, 43, who chopped his index finger over police inaction after his brother and sister-in-law committed suicide. It is also mentioned that the man in the viral video had warned that he would keep cutting off parts of his body and offer them to the government if the police inaction continued.

Dhananjay’s brother Nandkumar Nanaware and his wife Ujjwala died by suicide on August 1 by jumping off the building they lived in. Both were taken to Central Hospital, Ulhasnagar, where they were declared dead on arrival. It is also mentioned in the report that Nandkumar has left a suicide notice mentioning the names of people, who had allegedly tortured him, causing the couple to take their lives.

According to Times of India, Nanavare’s brother Nandkumar was former PA of (late) former MLA Jyoti Kalani and sister-in-law Ujwala. The couple had left two videos and two suicide notes mentioning about harassment they and their family were facing. They have also named Satara-based BJP MP Ranjeetsingh Nimbalkar in their video as well as the suicide note.

The report also said that the Nanavare family has now decided to move to the Mumbai High Court to demand the case be monitored by an HC judge. The family took the decision after the Thane crime branch team could not make any breakthrough after ten days of police custody and sent the four accused — Kamlesh Nikam, Naresh Gaikwad, Shashikant Sakhe and Ganpat Kamble — into judicial custody.

Hence, we conclude that the disturbing video of the man over police inaction after his brother and sister-in-law committed suicide is being shared with misleading claims.