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| - Fact Check: News clip from 2017 goes viral with claim of EVM foul play
Screenshots of a purported news clip are going viral on social media with the claim that BJP has tampered with EVM machines in Madhya Pradesh.
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India Today Fact Check
This is a five-year-old incident and has no connection to any recent or upcoming election. The Bhind Collector and SP were shunted out in April 2017, ahead of by-election to Ater assembly seat in the district.
Amid the high-octane election campaign for five states, a news clip in Hindi has gone viral with the claim that BJP has tampered with EVM machines in Madhya Pradesh.
Several Facebook users posted the clip informing that the Election Commission has removed the district collector and superintendent of police of Bhind after a controversy surrounding the trial of VVPAT machines.
India Today Anti Fake News War Room (AFWA) has found that the viral news clip is almost five years old and has no connection to any recent or upcoming election. The Bhind Collector and SP were shunted out in April 2017, a week ahead of by-election in the district's Ater assembly constituency.
The archived versions of the viral posts are saved here and here.
AFWA probe
With the help of keyword search, we found the source of the original video and details on the incident.
The viral news clip was uploaded on the YouTube channel of "ABP News" on April 1, 2017, with the title, "EVM Controversy: SP, Collector of Bhind removed".
The same news was published by other mainstream media houses around the same time.
As per these articles, in April 2017, just a week ahead of by-elections in a couple of constituencies in MP, a controversy had erupted over VVPAT trial in Bhind.
According to media reports, a VVPAT was dispensing slips of only the BJP symbol during the familiarisation exercise. The Opposition lodged a complaint with the Chief Election Commissioner, following which the Bhind Collector and SP were shunted out.
Therefore, it is confirmed that a five-year-old news clip over VVPAT controversy has resurfaced in the backdrop of upcoming elections in some crucial states.
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