Though the video has now been taken down by the West Bengal BJP Facebook page, it is still live on the @BJP4India handle and has been watched and shared thousands of times.
Shortly after the results of the West Bengal assembly elections were announced, reports of political violence started coming in from the eastern state. The BJP, which suffered a humiliating defeat in the state polls against the Mamata Banerjee-led TMC, said its supporters and workers were being chased and attacked by the TMC cadre. The left parties also voiced similar stories regarding their workers being targetted.
On the other hand, many fact-checking websites have been continuously debunking old videos and pictures being used to portray the present situation in West Bengal.
In the wake of this chaos unfolding in West Bengal, a baffling development has come fore that raises questions over the claims made by the saffron party regarding the violence in Bengal.
West Bengal BJP on Wednesday released a video on the post-poll violence and used the photo of Abhro Banerjee, an India Today journalist, to claim it to be that of ‘Manik Moitra’ who had died in Sitalkuchi.
Though the video has now been taken down by the West Bengal BJP Facebook page, it is still live on the @BJP4India handle and has been watched and shared thousands of times.
Abhro Banerjee, whose picture has been used in the video, took to social media to inform his followers that he’s “still alive”.
“I am Abhro Banerjee, living and hale and hearty and around 1,300 km away from Sitalkuchi. BJP IT Cell is now claiming I am Manik Moitra and died in Sitalkuchi. Please don’t believe these fake posts and please don’t worry. I repeat: I am (still) alive,” he said.
I am Abhro Banerjee, living and hale and hearty and around 1,300 km away from Sitalkuchi. BJP IT Cell is now claiming I am Manik Moitra and died in Sitalkuchi. Please don't believe these fake posts and please don't worry. I repeat: I am (still) alivehttps://t.co/y4jKsfx8tI pic.twitter.com/P2cXJFP5KO
— Abhro Banerjee (@AbhroBanerjee1) May 6, 2021
After Abhro Banerjee tweeted about the mishap by the party, BJP IT Cell started trending on Twitter, with people bashing them for the misuse of the picture to spread false news.
BJP IT CELL
have some shame @WBPolice take action before they announce other people dead too only to suit their propaganda
Now u have taken the oath @MamataOfficial u r the CM, This has to stop pic.twitter.com/QeTxrRC2jU— Sakshi Joshi (@sakshijoshii) May 6, 2021
Congress leader Pawan Khera also took to Twitter to slam the BJP IT Cell for “spreading lies”.
HEAPS OF SHAME ON YOU @BJP4India IT CELL.
WHILE THE COUNTRY BATTLES WITH #COVID19, YOU ARE BUSY SPREADING LIES https://t.co/kBTFb563W3— Pawan Khera (@Pawankhera) May 6, 2021
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