A video showing a youth being assaulted on a street in Mumbai has been falsely circulated as an incident of post-poll violence in West Bengal.
The clip was shared by several Trinamool Congress leaders, including TMC MP Kalyan Banerjee and Rajya Sabha MP Sagarika Ghosh, with claims that it showed BJP-backed attackers assaulting a TMC worker after the change in power in Bengal.
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However, after verifying the video, it turned out that the incident took place in Versova, Mumbai, and had no connection to West Bengal politics or the recent election violence in the state.
The misleading posts surfaced at a time when West Bengal has been witnessing multiple incidents of violence following the BJP’s sweeping victory in the 2026 Assembly elections, which ended the TMC’s 15-year rule.
Viral clip from Mumbai assault case
A reverse image search of frames from the viral video led to an Instagram upload dated April 15, 2026, which identified the location as Andheri West in Mumbai.
Further searches led to a report by Maharashtra News 9 published on April 11, which identified the victim as Mohammed Zaid and stated that the incident occurred in Versova following a dispute linked to a cricket game.
Viral misinformation amid Bengal violence debate
The false claim emerged amid heightened political tensions in West Bengal after the BJP secured a landslide victory in the Assembly elections.
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Several incidents of violence have been reported across the state since the results were declared, including the killing of Chandranath Rath, an aide to BJP leader Suvendu Adhikari, in Madhyamgram.
The circulation of unrelated videos with political claims has added to the spread of misinformation online during the sensitive post-poll period. Hence, the viral video predates the Bengal election violence and is entirely unrelated to the political situation in the state.
