Policeman In Kolkata Killed By Rioters? Viral Claim Is False

Authors

Vaibhav Bhujang

Vaibhav is a part of Newschecker’s English team, where he spots and debunks all kinds of misinformation, making the rounds on the internet. A Journalism graduate from St. Xavier's College, Mumbai, he holds an M.A degree in Philosophy and an M.Phil from Delhi University.

Amid the ongoing controversy over comments made by now-suspended BJP spokesperson Nupur Sharma on Prophet Mohammad, protests erupted in many states including Uttar Pradesh, Jharkhand, Telangana, Maharashtra, Delhi, and West Bengal. In light of these events a video of a policeman lying on the road with blood spattered across the ground is going viral on social media along with the claim that the policeman was killed by the rioters in West Bengal. Newschecker found these claims to be untrue.

Twitter user @vishalT75082861 was among the many who shared the video with the caption ‘Kolkata Mein Police wale ka murder kar diya dangaiyon ne’ which when translated reads as ‘Rioters in Kolkata have murdered a Policeman’. The post has managed to gather 88 likes and 92 retweets. 

The tweet has been deleted since but the screen shot of the tweet can be seen below:

Newschecker found similar claims on Twitter and Facebook with similar captions. Newschecker advises viewer discretion as the images are graphic in nature.

Facebook links can be seen here and here.

Also Read: Delhi Health Minister Satyendar Jain Beaten Up In ED Custody? Viral Image Is Misleading

Fact Check /Verification

We started our investigation by performing a keyword search along with the words “Policeman killed in Kolkata” and found a video on Youtube uploaded by the official channel of One India News on 10th June, 2022 titled Kolkata: Cop kills woman before shooting self in Park Circus. According to the description a policeman shot a woman and another to death and later shot himself at Park Circus in West Bengal’s capital Kolkata.

Newschecker found the images in the video to be similar to the one in the viral video. We also found a news report by NDTV uploaded on their Youtube channel uploaded on 10th June, 2022 which relayed the same information.

Upon further investigation, Newschecker found a news report by Indian Express titled Cop shoots self dead after killing woman, injuring two in Kolkata uploaded on 11th June, 2022 on their website. 

According to the report, an on-duty police constable shot himself after killing a woman and injuring two others with his service rifle in broad daylight near the Bangladesh Deputy High Commission where he was stationed  in central Kolkata’s crowded Park Circus area on Friday, June 10, 2022. The police constable was identified to be Chodup Lepcha.

The article further states that “Chodup Lepcha of the Fifth Battalion of the Kolkata Armed Police — fired around 10-15 rounds from his Self-Loading Rifle (SLR) when a bullet hit the woman and she fell off the motorbike she was riding as a pillion and died on the spot due to excessive bleeding”.

According to the article, police confirmed that the incident was in no way related to the Prophet remark protests being held nearby at Seven Point Crossing. 

Newschecker tried to find the motive behind the act but it is unclear from the media reports, why the policeman decided to open fire and then shoot himself.

Conclusion

Newschecker’s investigation reveals that the policeman found dead in Kolkata was not murdered by rioters but rather committed suicide by shooting himself.

Result: False Context/ False

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Authors

Vaibhav Bhujang

Vaibhav is a part of Newschecker’s English team, where he spots and debunks all kinds of misinformation, making the rounds on the internet. A Journalism graduate from St. Xavier's College, Mumbai, he holds an M.A degree in Philosophy and an M.Phil from Delhi University.