Clashes between supporters of rival political groups have intensified in West Bengal in eastern India as it gears up for polls in April 2026, but footage circulating online does not show a police officer hitting a supporter of the state’s ruling All India Trinamool Congress (TMC) party. In fact, it was filmed in Bangladesh during a demonstration months earlier calling for an investigation into the death of a youth leader.
“Election atmosphere heats up in Bengal! The West Bengal election scene appears to be getting increasingly tense. According to reports, security forces have taken a tough stance against goons allegedly associated with Mamata Banerjee,” reads part of a Hindi-language Facebook post shared on April 6, referring to the state’s chief minister.
The Hindi-language text overlaid on the video reads: “Commandos are beating up Mamata’s goons in Bengal.”
The attached video shows a policeman in riot gear hitting a man with a baton before being stopped by another officer.
Screenshot of the false Facebook post captured on April 13, 2026, with a red X added by AFP
The video was shared alongside similar claims elsewhere on Facebook and X ahead of upcoming state elections on April 23 and 29 (archived link).
Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) — which is in opposition in West Bengal — is waging an aggressive bid to dislodge Banerjee, the firebrand leader of the TMC ruling the state since 2011.
West Bengal has a long history of election violence, and New Delhi has announced the deployment of additional security forces to quell any clashes (archived here and here).
The local police have also been accused of misconduct after four officers were suspended for failing to maintain order during a BJP campaign event (archived link).
But the video is not linked to the election.
A reverse image search on Google using keyframes led to a longer version of the video shared on Facebook by Bangladeshi online news portal Barta Bazar on February 6 (archived link).
Its Bengali-language caption reads: “Police pull over a pedestrian on suspicion of being a protester.”
Screenshot comparison of the false post (L) and the video posted by Barta Bazar
The outlet’s executive editor Al Fahadul Islam told AFP on April 10 via WhatsApp that a staff reporter filmed the original video.
“On Friday, February 6, protesters blocked the Shabagh intersection from 5:00 PM to around 10:30 PM. The standoff intensified when police carried out a baton charge to disperse the crowd,” he said.
Barta Bazar’s video goes on to show the man speaking to reporters, which can also be seen from a different angle in a clip published by another outlet on the day (archived link).
AFP geolocated the footage to Dhaka, where the same shop signs and gates can be seen on Google Maps Street View (archived link).
Screenshot comparison of the false video (L) and a Google Maps Street View image with the same elements highlighted by AFP
Local media reported at the time that protests organised by the student group Inqilab Mancha to demand justice over the killing of its leader Sharif Osman Hadi turned violent after demonstrators and police clashed (archived link).
Hadi, a vocal critic of India who took part in Bangladesh’s 2024 mass uprising, was shot by masked assailants in Dhaka and later succumbed to his injuries at a hospital in Singapore (archived link).
More of our reporting on Indian elections can be found here.
