A viral video claiming to show a BJP MLA and his supporters being attacked for seeking votes in the name of religion in poll-bound Madhya Pradesh has been debunked. The video is not related to Madhya Pradesh but is from Odisha's Khurda district. The video, which depicts a mob attacking a car with sticks, originally surfaced in March 2022 and shows an incident involving a suspended BJD MLA, Prashant Jagdev. In the video, a white SUV is attacked by a mob in the presence of a few policemen, and a person is thrashed as the car drives through the crowd.
The misleading video is accompanied by a caption in Hindi, suggesting that it shows a BJP MLA being beaten in Madhya Pradesh. However, India TV Fact Check team reveals that the incident occurred in Odisha. An Odisha-based news channel, Kalinga TV, reported on the incident on March 12, 2022, with the title "'Lakhimpur Kheri' In Odisha: Over 20 Injured As Chilika MLA Prashant Jagdev Runs Car Over Crowd."
Several other news outlets also reported on the incident at that time. According to police reports, a large crowd, including BJP supporters, had gathered outside the Banapur Block Development Office in Odisha's Khurda district during the incident. Prashant Jagdev, the BJD MLA, attempted to drive his SUV through the crowded road and was initially stopped by the crowd. He suffered serious injuries as he was pulled out of the vehicle and attacked with sticks by the locals.
A case was registered against Prashant Jagdev under multiple IPC sections at Banapur town police station in connection with the incident. This incident was not the first involving the MLA, as he had previously been suspended from the ruling party for various altercations and assaults.
Therefore, the viral video does not depict an incident in Madhya Pradesh but rather an incident in Odisha involving a BJD MLA and is unrelated to religious or political matters in Madhya Pradesh.
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