A 16-second video showing a fleet of motorcycles is viral on social media. The video frame has a Hindi text embedded in it that reads, "Rajasthan Bajrang Dal reached West Bengal late at night." The video is being shared with the claim that Bajrang Dal members are arriving in West Bengal from other parts of India to "protect" Hindus amid the violence in Murshidabad.
Protests against the Waqf Amendment Act turned violent in Murshidabad earlier this month, leading to the deaths of three individuals — a Hindu father-son duo allegedly murdered on April 12 in communal clashes, and a Muslim man died in police firing. As many as 274 individuals have been arrested so far in connection with the violence and 60 FIRs lodged. The situation in pockets of the Jangipur subdivision of the district remains tense.
Premium subscribed X user Deepak Sharma (@SonOfBharat7) shared the above-mentioned clip on April 16 with a caption in Hindi that said, "Hindus of Bengal... Now, whatever happens, we'll face it 🚩Stand united with Bajrang Dal — in body, mind, and spirit. Believe me, these beasts of hatred will flee on their own 🖐️Remember... cowards have no ground to stand on." This tweet has received over 1.2 Lakh views and has been retweeted over 2,800 times. (Archive)
Readers should also note that this user has been found amplifying misinformation several times in the past.
Another premium subscribed X user, @Mahaveer_VJ, shared the viral video claiming that Bajrang Dal Rajasthan had reached West Bengal. The post has received over 5.94 Lakh views and has been retweeted over 5,500 times. (Archive)
Several other users, such as Sudarshan News 'journalist' @KumaarSaagar, shared the same clip with similar claims. Below are a few instances.
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Fact Check
We broke down the viral video into several keyframes and ran a reverse image search on a few of them. This led us to an Instagram reel posted on February 17 by a page with the username '@ig_.shreyas_'. This shows that the viral clip is not recent, hence, it cannot be related to the recent unrest in West Bengal.
Taking a hint from the hashtags such as 'sanglikar' and '65km' mentioned in the caption of the post, we ran a relevant keyword search. This led us to a report by the Times of India dated February 19. The report mentioned that a group of motorcyclists, around 200, who were returning from the annual Mayakka Devi fair in Karnataka to Sangli in Maharashtra, caused disturbance by blaring horns and cheering loudly at 2 am in the night. This prompted the police to unleash lathicharge on the bikers.
Situated in Chinchali village in Raybag Taluk of Belagavi district in Karnataka, the Mayakka Temple is a Hindu shrine dedicated to the deity, Mayakka Devi. One of the highlights of the Mayakka Temple is its annual fair, which takes place every February and lasts for a month.
We came across another Instagram reel by a page called '@itz_sangli' that posts updates related to the Sangli city. In this video, the motorcyclists can be seen moving in a group at night and honking continuously. In the video, the men could be seen waving Bajrang Dal flags.
Hence, it is clear that the viral clip is completely unrelated to the recent unrest in Murshidabad, West Bengal, resulting from protests against the Waqf Act.
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