Fact Check: West Bengal police lathicharge Mamata supporters in Bengal? No, video is from Dhaka

Hyderabad: The West Bengal Assembly elections will be held in two phases on April 23 and April 29, where voters will elect representatives to the 294-member Legislative Assembly.

Ahead of the polls, a video circulating on social media claims to show commandos beating Trinamool Congress (TMC) members. The viral clip shows police personnel beating a man with a stick.

One user posted the video on X and wrote, “Commandos are serving Mamata’s goons in Bengal. What would the public say? This scene brought peace to my heart.” (Translated from Hindi) (Archive)

Fact Check

NewsMeter found that the claim is false. The video is from Bangladesh and was captured during a protest in Dhaka in February.

Analysis of the video

A reverse image search of the video’s keyframes revealed that it dates to February 6. Dhaka-based media outlet ATN Bangla News published the video on Facebook. The caption suggests that it was captured during a protest in Dhaka, Bangladesh, where police attacked a pedestrian.

According to a report published by The Economic Times dated February 6, thousands of protesters tried to storm the official residence of Bangladesh’s Chief Adviser Muhammad Yunus in Dhaka. The incident happened just six days before the national elections, which were scheduled on February 12.

Location verified through visual clues

We noticed a shop hoarding in the viral video that read ‘Deko View Car Decoration’ (translated from Bengali). Using this clue, we identified the location on Google Maps and found the exact spot where the video was captured. The incident happened at 58, New Eskaton Road, Banglamotor, Dhaka 1000, Bangladesh.

Therefore, we conclude that the claim is false.