No, This CISF Personnel Wasn’t Injured During West Bengal Polling

The viral image is from Jharkhand when ASI SP Sharma who was on duty at a CISF camp was attacked by langurs.

(Photo: Altered by The Quint)

Video Editor: Purnendu Pritam

A photo of an injured Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) personnel is being shared by many, including leaders of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), to claim that the personnel was hurt during the fourth phase of polling in West Bengal which took place on Saturday, 10 April.

But we found out that the image is from Jharkhand where ASI SP Sharma, who was on duty at a CISF camp, was attacked by langurs.

CLAIM

BJP leader Suvendu Adhikari shared the image of the injured officer claiming that during the fourth phase of voting, TMC-backed miscreants attacked a “CISF officer and tried to snatch his gun. He was seriously injured.”

(Note: The image in the links below may be distressing to some. Viewer discretion is advised.)

You can view the archived version here.(Photo: Twitter/ Screenshot/ Altered by The Quint)

The claim was also shared by BJP’s Saumitra Khan with his over 40,000 followers. Among other who shared the claim was Major Surendra Poonia. An archived version of his post can be seen here. (More archive links to similar posts can be seen here, here, and here.)

WHAT WE FOUND OUT

We conducted a reverse image search on the viral image and came across an article by Dainik Jagaran that was published on 10 April.

The article carried the viral image and mentioned that it shows ASI SP Sharma, who was on duty at a CISF camp in Baghmara in Jharkhand’s Dhanbad when some langurs attacked him on Friday, 9 April.

(Photo: Website/ Screenshot/ Altered by The Quint)

CISF sources told The Quint’s WebQoof team that the incident took place in BCCL Dhanbad when a langur had attacked an ASI on 9 April and that it has got nothing to do with the incident that happened in West Bengal.

WHAT HAPPENED IN WEST BENGAL ON 10 APRIL?

At least four people died on Saturday as Central forces opened fire after purportedly coming under attack in Sitalkuchi. The Trinamool Congress has claimed that those who were shot dead were its workers.

Superintendent of Police, Cooch Behar, made a statement on Saturday saying that the CISF firing was in self-defence. He stated that a man fell unconscious and was being treated in front of the booth, but the villagers assumed he was injured by the CISF.

This led to a crowd of 300-350 people allegedly attacking the CISF by trying to snatch their rifles, use of handmade weapons, and other such acts, he added.

The CISF personnel got into a scuffle with the villagers, after which the firing started, he said. So far, four people have lost their lives, confirmed the SP.

(With inputs from SM Hoax Slayer)

(Not convinced of a post or information you came across online and want it verified? Send us the details on WhatsApp at 9643651818, or e-mail it to us at [e-mail] and we'll fact-check it for you. You can also read all our fact-checked stories here.)