Two unrelated videos are being shared on social media with false claims linking them to the recent post-poll violence in West Bengal after the Bharatiya Janata Party's (BJP) victory.
BOOM found that the viral videos predate the West Bengal Assembly election results and are associated with separate incidents. One video shows violence during Ram Navami in Murshidabad, another depicts a fire in Akra-Santoshpur in South 24 Parganas.
Chandranath Rath, personal assistant to BJP leader Suvendu Adhikari, was shot dead on Wednesday night. Post the election results, reports of violence across the state have emerged, with at least six people reported to have died so far.
The Claim:
The first video was posted by TMC MP Kirti Azad, who claimed it showed BJP workers inciting violence.
The second video was also shared by Azad, and shared by Indian Youth Congress West Bengal on Instagram. It was misreported by Brut in a compilation video of different visuals of post-poll violence in the state, which included that one visual. The same was also posted by YouTuber Dhruv Rathee and quote-tweeted by TMC MP Mahua Moitra.
Click here to view an archive.
Click here to view an archive.
What We Found:
Video 1: Ram Navami violence in Murshidabad
We ran a reverse image search of keyframes from the viral video and found that the same video was posted on Facebook and Instagram in March 2026, predating the ongoing post poll violence.
According to the caption of one such post, the video is from March 27, 2026, during Ram Navami in Jangipur, Murshidabad, when clashes broke out after a procession. Reports stated that an altercation between two groups escalated into violence in several areas including Jangipur and Raghunathganj. Around 29 people were arrested in connection with the incident.
We also found the same visuals in news reports from outlets including TV9 Bangla.
Video 2: Fire incident in Akra-Santoshpur, South 24 Parganas
We found that the second video was posted on Instagram on April 26 and on Facebook on April 25, 2026, which predates the ongoing post-poll violence.
The user who posted the video on Facebook stated that the location is Santoshpur. We found a News18 Bangla report from April 25, 2026, which reported a massive fire in a slum in the Akra-Santoshpur area of South 24 Parganas.
According to the report, around 60 huts were gutted in the fire, and overhead railway wires were damaged, leading to a temporary suspension of services on the Bajbaj–Sealdah section. Video report from News18 Bangla also show visuals matching the viral video.
