A set of two photographs is circulating on social media with a false claim that it shows West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has faked her crown injury.
In one of the photos circulated online, Banerjee can be seen lying on a bed, blood trickling from the center of her forehead. The other image shows her delivering a speech, holding a microphone, with an adhesive bandage visible on the left side of her forehead.
BOOM found that the image of Banerjee with an adhesive bandage on the left side of her forehead dates back to January this year when she sustained an injury in a car accident while traveling from Bardhaman to Kolkata. The photograph is unrelated to the image depicting Banerjee lying on a bed with a recent head injury.
A verified X user posted the pictures with a Hindi caption that translates to, "The injury is in the middle... but why the bandage on the "edge"?"
(Original Text in Hindi: चोट तो बीच में लगी है.... पर पट्टी “किनारे” क्यों?)
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Tathagata Roy, the ex-governor of Tripura, also shared a collage of the photographs, raising questions about the injuries sustained by the Chief Minister of West Bengal.
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BOOM also received the same pictures on its WhatsApp tipline number (7700906588) with a verification request.
Fact Check
BOOM found that the photos show two separate injuries of Banerjee, where she was hurt in January and March respectively.
Photo with adhesive bandage: January 24, 2024
Upon conducting a related keyword search, we found the same visuals of Banerjee delivering a speech with an adhesive bandage on the left side of her forehead in news reports from January 24, 2024.
On January 24, 2024, Bengali news channel ABP Ananda aired the same visuals during their news bulletin. The channel reported that Mamata Banerjee had visited West Bengal's Rajbhawan after sustaining an injury while returning by car from Bardhaman to Kolkata.
When questioned about the accident, Banerjee said that a vehicle approached from the opposite direction while she was en-route Kolkata, nearly colliding with her car. She went on to mention that her driver had applied the brakes to avoid the collision. She sustained minor injuries as she hit the dashboard due to the abrupt stop.
Banerjee hurt her crown on March 14, 2024
The photographs of Banerjee, showing her lying on a bed with blood on her forehead, were posted from the official X handle of her party, All India Trinamool Congress, on March 14, 2024.
The photos were posted with a caption, "Our chairperson Mamata Banerjee sustained a major injury. Please keep her in your prayers".
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On March 15, 2024, The Indian Express, quoting sources from the All India Trinamool Congress (AITMC), reported that the injury to the forehead of the West Bengal Chief Minister occurred when she slipped at her residence on Harish Chatterjee Street in Kolkata. The report further mentioned that Banerjee's nephew, Abhishek Banerjee, was present at the residence when the incident took place.
A report published by Anandabazar Patrika Online on March 14, 2024, stated that Banerjee was discharged from the SSKM hospital and returned to her residence. The report also added that the TMC chief received four stitches on her forehead due to the injury.
One such visual posted by news agency ANI can be seen below.
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