Bharatiya Janta Party (BJP) Bengal unit's verified Facebook page shared an image of a 2014 California fire to misleadingly claim that it shows party leader Noor Islam's shop in Basirhat being vandalised by TMC.
According to reports, several shops and a house of Noor Islam Gazi, president of the BJP Minority Cell in Minakhan, Basirhat, were recently vandalised and set on fire. Local BJP leaders alleged that the TMC was instrumental in the attack. Minakhan Police has so far arrested four people, including a civic volunteer on the charge of vandalising and setting fire to the houses of BJP leaders and activists.
In this backdrop, BJP West Bengal's Facebook page shared a graphic including an image of a structure on fire, an image of Mamata Banerjee, and text in Bangla blaming the vandalisation on TMC.
The text written on the graphic used in the Facebook post reads, ''Again, the pattern of Trinamool party's misconduct has come to light. BJP leader Noor Islam's shop and school has been set on fire by the TMC goons. Trinamool fans did this to the BJP leader in Basirhat for standing up against the wrong doings of TMC. How many more people will fall prey to this political jealousy in West Bengal? We want an answer from you Mamata.'' (Original text in Bangla: আবারো তৃণমূলের অনাচারের নিদর্শন এলো প্রকাশ্যে। বিজেপি নেতা নূর ইসলামের দোকান-স্কুলে আগুন লাগলো তৃণমূলের গুন্ডারা। বসিরহাটে তৃণমূলের অরাজকতার বিরুদ্ধে রুখে দাঁড়ানোয় এই কান্ড করে তৃণমূলবাহিনী। আর কত মানুষ রাজনৈতিক হিংসার শিকার হবে পশ্চিমবঙ্গে? জবাব দাও পিসি। '')
The caption viral with the graphic reads, ''How much more will Mamata oppress the opponents? And how many people will be victims of political violence in your kingdom? Answer us Mamata!'' (Original text in Bangla: ''বিরোধীদের উপর আর কত অত্যাচার করবেন পিসি? আর কত মানুষকে রাজনৈতিক হিংসার শিকার হতে হবে আপনার রাজত্বে? জবাব দিন পিসি!'')
Archive of the post can be seen here.
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Fact Check
BOOM ran a reverse image search on the photograph of the structure on fire shared in the graphic and found a report by Daily Mail from May 14, 2014 featuring the same image. The report mentioned about the wildfire that broke out in California where thousands of people were evacuated as brush blazes and high winds form a string of 'firenadoes'. According to the caption used in the image, the house was in flames in Carlsbad, California. About 500 acres were burnt in the blaze, which were fueled by record heat, high winds and dry conditions.
We found the same image in CBS News' gallery referring it as a house that was consumed by a wildfire in May 2014 in California. Several other images from the fire can also be seen here.
Further, the same image can be seen in the international stock photo archive, Getty Images' website. The caption of the photo reads, "Wildfire Forces Evacuation Of Thousands In Carlsbad, California. SAN MARCOS, CA - MAY 14: A house is consumed by a wildfire May 14, 2014 in San Marcos, California. About 500 acres have burned in the San Marcos blaze, fueled by record heat, high winds and dry conditions. At least four other fires advanced in nearby communities."
Below is a comparison of the viral image and the image available in the stock photos of Getty.
Hence, the image shown in the graphic by BJP West Bengal is from a California wildfire and not related to the recent Basirhat fire incident.
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