Old Video Passed off as Woman Attacked During Live Interview in Sandeshkhali

The video dates back to 2018 and showed a BJP supporter being attacked by a local TMC leader.

Fact-Check | The video is old and is being shared with a false claim. 

(Photo: Altered by The Quint)

(Trigger Warning: Disturbing visuals)

A video of a woman getting attacked by a man while giving an interview is being shared on the internet with users linking it to the recent protests in West Bengal's Sandeshkhali.

What have users said?: Those sharing the video have said, "A woman trying to speak out to media about #sandeshkhali is attacked on live camera. Just imagine, what all must have happened and must be happening in reality in #Sandeshkhali #westbengal."

An archive of the post can be found here. 

(Source: Facebook/Screenshot)

(Archives of similar claims can be found here and here.)

Are these claims true?: No, the video is old and is unrelated to the recent protests in Sandeshkhali.

• The incident is from 2018, when a supporter of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) named Nilima Dey Sarkar was allegedly beaten by a leader from Trinamool Congress (TMC).

What led us to the truth?: On performing a reverse image search on keyframes of the viral video, we found the same clip uploaded on X (formerly Twitter) by multiple users.

• The video was shared on 30 September 2018 and its caption mentioned that the woman named Nilima De Sarkar was attacked by a TMC leader Arshadujjaman.

News reports: A report published in NDTV said that a BJP supporter was kicked and thrown to the ground by local TMC leaders twice. The first attack came in the presence of cops and then in front of a TV news crew.

• The incidents took place during the 12-hour long Bengal bandh by the BJP. The report mentioned that no arrests were made in the case.

• It further said that a local leader with a stick in hand pushed and knocked Sarkar on the ground, while the latter was giving an interview.

• BJP identified the attackers as one Qutubuddin, an aide of Arshanduzzaman.

The report was last updated on 1 October 2018.

(Source: NDTV/Screenshot)

• A news report in The Indian Express added that the woman was attacked in Barasat under North 24 Paraganas. This came during the strike against the death of two people in the Islampur clashes.

• The victim filed a complaint in Barasat five days after she was attacked.

What's happening in Sandeshkhali?: A recent report said that women in the village took to the streets with brooms and sticks and demanded the arrest of Shahjahan Sheikh and his two aides.

• The leaders were accused of land-grabbing and sexual coercion.

• The West Bengal police said that they have not received allegations about rape of women in the village.

• You can read more updates here.

Conclusion: The video of a woman being attacked by a man is being falsely shared as recent visuals from the protests in Sandeshkhali.

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