A fake graphic featuring a 'BBC News Breaking' logo falsely claims that the recently held rally in Kolkata's Brigade parade grounds has been termed the largest peaceful political gathering by the British news organisation. The graphic has an image from one of the Brigade rallies in the background and a text on top which reads 'Kolkata Brigade 2021: World's largest Peaceful Political Gathering" - BBC NEWS '.
BOOM reached out to the BBC who confirmed that they have not published any such graphic.
The graphic is viral on Facebook with netizens applauding the Brigade rally held on February 28; The Brigade Parade Ground in Kolkata, known for its historical rallies by the Left Front, witnessed an alliance between the Left Front, Congress and the Indian Secular Front to battle the Trinamool Congress and the Bharatiya Janata Party in the assembly elections of West Bengal starting March 27.
Fact Check
BOOM however could not independently verify the footfall at the rally of the alliance. According to a report on The Wire, the alliance's meeting had a thinner crowd as compared to the rally held in 2019. The wire also spoke to a policeman on duty at the rally, and learnt that the estimated crowd was somewhere between two lakh and 2.5 lakh people. However, Communist Party of India (Marxist) general secretary Sitaram Yechury claimed more than 10 lakh people assembled at the Brigade ground on Sunday afternoon.