In the run up to the elections, social media is being flooded with fake news by the opposition parties like the DMK in Tamil Nadu and TMC in West Bengal. In light of the same, a photo of BJP volunteers quarrelling with each other in 2016 in the Howrah area of West Bengal is currently going viral on social media.
The photo was accompanied by a caption that read, “A traditional coffee shop has been damaged. They are the enemies of West Bengal. If you vote for them, they will destroy Bengal.”
This viral photo was later found to have been published in the Times of India’s news report in April 2016. According to it, the BJP volunteers had clashed with each other. Further research into the news revealed that, in 2016, Firstpost published a news release. Two viral photos were found and credit was given to PTI.
As seen on PTI, “BJP volunteers clashed with each other on Sunday in the presence of Howrah legislator actress Rupa Ganguly,” a press release issued on April 3, 2016, said.
Also on a news channel, it was reported that BJP volunteers had entered a coffee house in March and tore down posters that asked citizens to not vote for the BJP. But, the photos that are currently being circulated of the conflict are old incidents, which are also being misrepresented for the current election.
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