A video of an army lathi charge during riots in Bangladesh’s general elections is being shared as an incident from West Bengal

On 1 April 2026, in Malda, West Bengal, India, a group of people allegedly held judicial officers hostage for several hours while they were on election duty. Reports also suggested that there was an attempt to attack the officers. Meanwhile, a video was gaining widespread attention on social media, showing army personnel beating up people with sticks. The video was being shared with the claim that it depicted the Indian Army intervening in Malda to quell riots ahead of the upcoming West Bengal Assembly elections.

However, a closer examination of the video revealed that it was not related to India or West Bengal at all. The incident shown in the video actually took place during elections in Brahmanbaria, Bangladesh, in February 2026. At that time, protestors had tried to take control of a polling station, leading to local army personnel carrying out a lathi charge on them.

The confusion arose when the viral video was mistakenly identified as coming from West Bengal. Upon closer inspection, viewers noticed the logo of Jamuna TV on the video, which helped trace it back to the television network's official Facebook page. The video was posted there on 12 February 2026, with the original context clearly stating that it was from Bangladesh.

Multiple media outlets had initially published the video with the same misleading information. However, once the truth about the video's origin was uncovered, it became evident that the claim made in the post was false. The video was not from West Bengal, India, but rather from Brahmanbaria, Bangladesh, and was unrelated to the Indian Army's actions.

This incident highlights the challenges faced in verifying the authenticity of viral videos, especially when they are shared with misleading captions. In this case, the confusion stemmed from the similarity in the names of the regions – Malda in West Bengal and Brahmanbaria in Bangladesh – as well as the general context of elections taking place in both countries around the same time.

The situation underscores the importance of cross-checking information and ensuring that sources are credible before sharing content. While social media can be a powerful tool for disseminating news, it also poses significant risks of misinformation and the spread of false narratives. In this particular case, the video's origin was quickly identified, but such clarity may not always be possible, especially in the fast-paced environment of digital communication.

In conclusion, a video of an army lathi charge during riots in Bangladesh's general elections was being shared as an incident from West Bengal. The post, which initially caused confusion, was later debunked after tracing the video back to its original source in Bangladesh. This serves as a reminder of the need for critical thinking and fact-checking in an era where misinformation can spread rapidly across social media platforms.