Fact Check: Video Of Attempted Attack On Nitish Kumar Is Two Years Old

New Delhi Vishvas News – A video featuring Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar is going viral on social media. It shows a young man attempting to attack Nitish Kumar from behind before being apprehended by the security personnel and police. Users are sharing this clip, claiming that the young man attacked Bihar CM Nitish Kumar and is demanding strict action against him. The recent sharing of the video gives the impression of being a recent incident.

In its investigation, Vishvas News found that the video of the attempted attack on Nitish dates back to March 2022. The investigation revealed that the accused was mentally ill, and the CM pardoned him. Along with this, the CM also requested medical help for the accused.

What Is The Viral Post?

Facebook user ‘Today Samachar’ posted the video (archive link) on July 15, 2024 with the caption, “Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar was slapped by an unknown person. Whoever did this heinous act should be dealt with severely by the police so that no one can do any such a thing in future .”

Investigation:

On searching the viral claim with keywords, we found similar news published on Dainik Jagran’s website on March 28, 2022. The article reads that a youth attempted to attack Bihar CM Nitish Kumar in Bakhtiyarpur, Patna, while the CM was garlanding the statue of freedom fighter Pandit Sheelbhadra Yaji. The youth had entered the premises with some photographers, but the security personnel immediately apprehended him. The CM left the scene after completing the garlanding ceremony.  

The viral video was posted on ANI’s X handle on March 27, 2022, with the caption, “A youth tried to attack CM Nitish Kumar during an event in Bakhtiyarpur, Bihar. The police later took the accused into custody.”

According to a report published on Good News Today’s website on March 28, 2022, the accused youth was identified as Sundar Verma. The CM decided not to take any punitive action against him considering his mental condition and also instructed to give him medical assistance.

Dainik Jagran’s Chief Reporter Jitendra Kumar in Patna confirms that no such incident has occurred recently and the video is old. We scanned the profile of the user who shared the old video and discovered that the user has around 1.35  lakh followers.