Does this video really show security forces detaining a TMC goon for booth capturing attempt? Fact Check
Claim: A video purportedly shows a booth-capturing attempt by TMC goons being thwarted by security forces.
Conclusion: The claim is misleading. Security forces did disperse a crowd and detain one individual near a polling booth as there were clashes among workers/crowd due to malfunctions in Electronic Voting Machines. However, there is no credible evidence confirming the identity of the man as a “TMC goon” or linking him to any particular party.
Rating: Misleading 
Several social media users have shared a video online from the second phase of West Bengal elections in 2026. Verified X user ‘UnSubtleDesi’ shared such a video with the caption : “Booth capturing attempt by TMC goon thwarted by forces. A sight for sore eyes.” Attached to the video is a 1 minute 32 second clip that shows central security forces dragging a man in a pink shirt and white trousers by his legs along a street, then loading him into a vehicle. View the post below –
Booth capturing attempt by TMC goon thwarted by forces. A sight for sore eyes. pic.twitter.com/wsMQW4Ood7
— Nupur J Sharma (@UnSubtleDesi) April 29, 2026
Other users have shared similar claims that can be sen here and here
FACT CHECK
DigitEYE India decided to investigate this claim and found it to be misleading. Although security personnel cleared a crowd and took one man into custody near a polling booth, there is no verified information proving he was a “TMC goon” or connected to any political party.
Having seen the post shared by the users and similar claims, we noticed that the original video is from PTI’s X account. The PTI footage is captioned : “VIDEO | Howrah, West Bengal: An EVM glitch reportedly sparks clash in Bally. CRPF personnel detain two people.” There is nothing mentioned about TMC goons or any booth capturing attempts by TMC. View PTI’s post below –
VIDEO | Howrah, West Bengal: An EVM glitch reportedly sparks clash in Bally. CRPF personnel detain two people.#AssemblyPollsWithPTI #WestBengalPollsWithPTI
(Full video available on PTI Videos – https://t.co/n147TvrpG7) pic.twitter.com/Eyo6DGfTzf
— Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) April 29, 2026
Following this, we conducted a web search with the phrase “EVM glitch sparks clash in Bally” to learn more. According to a report by ABP Live, “ the disruption in Bally began after an EVM glitch led to confusion and confrontation among political workers.” Soon the situation turned violent, “prompting swift intervention by CRPF personnel, who detained two people in connection with the clash.” View a section from the report below –
Upon conducting a reverse image search from various keyframes of the clip, we landed on a Youtube short by NDTV Profit. The short is titled : “EVM Malfunction In West Bengal’s Bally Constituency Sparks Clashes During Polls, CRPF Detains 2”. However, we did not find any evidence that suggested this was a “TMC goon” or specific party member.
With reference to the situation in West Bengal, the Election Commission has ordered repolling in 15 polling stations in West Bengal following complaints during the April 29 voting, with fresh polling scheduled for May 2 between 7 am and 6 pm. Officials said the decision was based on reports from poll machinery, with 11 booths located in Magrahat Paschim and 4 booths located in Diamond Harbour.
Re-poll in Selected Polling Stations in West Bengal Assembly Elections 2026.#WBLA2026 #Repoll @ECISVEEP@SpokespersonECI@PIBKolkata@airnews_kolkata @DEOS24pgs pic.twitter.com/kWmueIlilI
— CEO West Bengal (@CEOWestBengal) May 1, 2026
Thus, the claim is misleading.
