Please don’t believe these fake posts, I’m still alive, responds journalist claimed to be killed

May 6: On Wednesday, West Bengal Unit of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) released a video on the post post-poll violence using photo of a journalist Abhro Banerjee, claiming he was Manik Maitro who had died during the violence at Sitalkuchi. The 5 minutes long video shows pictures of workers, which Bengal BJP alleged were killed by the “TMC in last 72 hours.” At 2 minutes 35 seconds, the video shows the photograph of Abhro Banerjee and claimed that it was Manik Maitro, a journalist who was killed by TMC goons.

Earlier, during the day on 6 May, Abhro Banerjee took to his twitter handle and wrote, “I am Abhro Banerjee, living and hale and hearty and around 1,300 km away from Sitalkuchi. BJP IT Cell is now claiming I am Manik Moitra and died in Sitalkuchi. Please don’t believe these fake posts and please don’t worry. I repeat: I am (still) alive.”

I am Abhro Banerjee, living and hale and hearty and around 1,300 km away from Sitalkuchi. BJP IT Cell is now claiming I am Manik Moitra and died in Sitalkuchi. Please don't believe these fake posts and please don't worry. I repeat: I am (still) alivehttps://t.co/y4jKsfx8tI pic.twitter.com/P2cXJFP5KO

— Abhro Banerjee (@AbhroBanerjee1) May 6, 2021

In another tweet during the day, Abhro Banerjee wrote, “What if-what if this video was not about a person, who has allegedly died of post-poll violence, but about someone, who is accused in a murder or for that matter, a rape. Imagine, what kind of irreversible damage it would’ve done.”

However, the West Bengal BJP later issued a statement and said that “Banerjee’s photo was erroneously included in the video.” Taking to it’s twitter handle Bengal BJP responded, “The image of Mr. Abhro Banejee was erroneously included in the video while using an article by him as a source.” The tweet was accompanied by a hyperlink and image link.