Fact Check: Old Video From Varanasi Falsely Shared As TMC Worker Beaten Over Voting In Murshidabad
Vishvas News investigated and found the viral post to be fake. An old video of a youth being beaten up in Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh, is now being circulated with a false communal narrative during the West Bengal Assembly elections.
- By: Ashish Maharishi
- Published: Apr 13, 2026 at 03:42 PM
New Delhi (Vishvas News). Voting for the West Bengal Assembly elections will be held in two phases. The first phase will be held on April 23, 2026, and the second phase on April 29. Meanwhile, a video is going viral on social media, featuring some people brutally beating a young man. Many social media users are sharing this video, believing it to be from West Bengal.
Vishvas News thoroughly investigated the post associated with the viral video and found it to be fake. The investigation revealed that the viral video is from Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh. A protest against the ‘Agniveer Yojana’ took place in Varanasi in 2022, and a video from that time is now being falsely attributed to West Bengal.
What is viral?
Facebook user Manish Nayak shared a video on April 6, 2026, claiming, “This is Nazrul Islam, a TMC worker, threatening Hindus in Murshidabad for votes. Some Hindus’ consciences were awakened, and Nazrul Islam fled with his tail between his legs. Didi is gone on May 4th. Say, Har Har Mahadev.”
The content of the viral post is reproduced here verbatim. Many users are sharing it, believing it to be true. You can see the archived version of the post here.
investigation
Vishvas News began its investigation by carefully examining the viral video. We noticed a location marked Telephone Colony, Municipal Corporation, Varanasi. This clearly indicates that the video has no connection to West Bengal.
The next step in the investigation was to extract several key frames from the viral video and conducted a Google search using the Lens tool. This led us to the original video on an account named ‘Organiser Weekly’, uploaded on June 17, 2022, and was linked to protests against the Agniveer scheme.
During our investigation, we also found the viral video on the YouTube channel of ‘NBT UP-Uttarakhand’. It was used in a video report, which also claimed to be from Varanasi. This report, dated June 17, 2022, stated that protests against the Agniveer scheme in Varanasi turned violent, enraging locals. Railway tracks in Varanasi were set on fire in protest. Roadways buses were vandalised, and trains were pelted with stones. Amid the images of the violence, when some opponents of the Agnipath scheme arrived in Varanasi markets, attempts were made to forcibly close shops. When chaos erupted in the market in the name of protesting against the Agnipath scheme, shopkeepers took charge. They severely beat up the people creating the disturbance and then handed them over to the police.
Lastly, we conducted a social media scan of the Facebook user who posted the fake post, ‘Manish Nayak’ and found that account was created on June 30, 2023, and has over 9,000 followers. The user identifies as a resident of Bihar.
At the end of our investigation, we contacted local journalist MD Baktar from Murshidabad, who confirmed that the viral video has no connection to Murshidabad and that no such incident had occurred there.
What is the context
Assembly elections were held on April 9, 2026, in three important states and union territories. Voting took place in a single phase in Assam, Kerala, and Puducherry. According to the Election Commission, voter turnout was 85.38% in Assam, 78.03% in Kerala, and 89.83% in Puducherry. Voting in West Bengal will take place in two phases on April 23 and 29, 2026.
Conclusion: Vishvas News investigated and found the viral post to be fake. An old video of a youth being beaten up in Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh, is now being circulated with a false communal narrative during the West Bengal Assembly elections.
- Claim Review : A TMC worker who was threatened for votes was beaten up in Murshidabad.
- Claimed By : FB User Manish Naiyak
- Fact Check : False
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