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| - Fact Check: Not DMK attacking BJP leader! This old video shows fellow party members beating him
The BJP member in Tamil Nadu was attacked by his fellow party workers due to a personal dispute between two party factions.
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India Today Fact Check
This video is from 2023 and shows Rajesh being assaulted by fellow party members over a personal dispute.
As Tamil Nadu gears up for the first phase of the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, a video allegedly showing Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) IT and District Secretary Rajesh Biju being attacked by Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) workers has gone viral.
An X user, sharing the viral video, wrote, “Gruesome attack on BJP IT & Social Media Cell District Secretary Shri. Rajesh Biju today evening in front of BJP functionary's house... Rajesh is undergoing treatment in Sri Chakra Hospital, Nanganallur, Chennai East.” Its archive can be seen here.
India Today Fact Check found that not only is the video old but BJP’s Rajesh Biju was actually assaulted by fellow party members in a personal dispute.
OUR PROBE
A keyword search led to an ETV Bharat Tamil report from August 1, 2023, which noted that the incident involved Chennai East District BJP General Secretary S Subbaiah. The report highlighted that after a photo of Subbaiah consuming alcohol at his restaurant went viral, he confronted Rajesh Biju, suspecting him to be the source behind the leak.
The encounter soon escalated to physical assault against Rajesh. Later, Rajesh filed a complaint at the Palavanthangal police station.
Similar reports from around the same time, identified the assailants as Subbaiah, his nephew Mutharasan, and the party's zonal president Jawahar Armstrong. Following a complaint by Rajesh, the Tamil Nadu police arrested the trio, who were then presented in Alandur Court and remanded to prison.
Additionally, Tamil Nadu Police also issued a clarification in response to a viral tweet, confirming that the video shows a clash stemming from a personal dispute between two factions of the party on July 31, 2023.
Thus, it’s clear that a year-old video showing a clash between BJP members was falsely linked to the upcoming Lok Sabha elections.
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