Ever since results of the West Bengal Assembly election were announced on Sunday, social media has been agog with images and videos of alleged violence in the state. Most of these are from either BJP party workers or journalists sympathetic to the party.

Here’s why you saw Bengal violence videos after vote counting

The startling fact is that most of these have been debunked by West Bengal Police or other state authorities as being fake and only promoting a one-sided narrative that suits the BJP. It must be remembered that the BJP won 77 of the 292 seats that went in for election, despite its high-voltage, high-expenditure campaign that was shattered by the Trinamool Congress, which won 213 seats.

But the IT-savvy cannot be dissuaded and promoted and pushed fake old videos, old photos and unrelated tweets to build the case for the Centre to bring the Mamata Banerjee-led government to heel by measures such as Article 356 which can be invoked citing law and order conditions.

Among the many grainy videos shared out of concern for Bengal and BJP party workers, there is a fake video where a mob can be vandalizing a police van and chasing officers.

The video seems to have been shot in January this year when an angry group attacked a police van and chased a policeman over the death of a youngster who was allegedly framed in a crime, said an Altnews report.

Recycled old videos stoke fresh violence

Another video shared by BJP’s West Bengal General Secretary Kailash Vijayvargiya blamed Muslims. It said, TMC Muslim goons are beating up BJP workers in Nandigram.

Reports said the video shared by Vijayvargiya was fake and it was related to a personal dispute and had nothing to do with post-poll violence.

There is also fake news being spread of a gangrape of a woman BJP worker by Trinamool Congress workers at Birbhum’s Nanoor.

Election Commission-appointed Birbhum SP Nagendra Tripathi told media that the reports of a gangrape in Birbhum are fake.

In another video shared by BJP’s Mahila Morcha social media national in-charge, Priti Gandhi, people can be seen dancing with swords to the TMC poll song Khela Hobe playing in the background.

CID West Bengal investigated the video and said the video is fake. CID West Bengal appealed to people not to spread fake videos which is not related to the current situation.

Was there no violence at all?

There was violence. Yes, people from both TMC and BJP were involved in attacks on each other. Some CPM leader were also attacked and key CPM activists were killed.

In Purba Bardhaman, 4 people were killed in clashes between the TMC and the BJP. The incident took place when motorcycle-borne TMC supporters were going to Nabagram when they were attacked by BJP workers in Jamalpur police station limits.

Two were declared brought dead by Burdwan Medical College and Hospital when rushed there. On this, the TMC said four people were killed, of whom 3 were TMC supporters.

A local BJP leader blamed TMC supporters for causing the violence since they were raising slogans and jeering BJP workers. Police said 23 people were detained and a security blanket has been imposed in troublesome areas.

TMC supporters were also being accused of vandalising the homes and shops of BJP workers in various parts of Galsi.

BJP leader and General Secretary, Jharkhand, Dr Pradip Varma, shared a video burning BJP office in West Bengal. He said wining and loosing happens, burning BJP office shows the mentality of TMC.

What did Mamata Banerjee say?

Trinamool supremo Mamata Banerjee rejected all the allegation by the BJP. She said after West Bengal election results were announced, many BJP workers and supporters have attacked TMC workers, but we asked our men not to get provoked by their act and instead report to the police, Mamata said. She has appealed to the people to maintain peace and calm, and asked them not to fall prey to provocation.

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The BJP is, however, not going to rest and will continue to organize nationwide protests to highlight the violent nature of the West Bengal government, said party leaders.