A picture of a man’s body hanging from a tree is being widely circulated on social media claiming that an 18-year-old man was killed by Trinamool Congress workers in West Bengal for supporting BJP while TMC MP Derek O’Brien was criticizing Uttar Pradesh’s law and order.
The Facebook post read, “ये पश्चिम बंगाल का एक 18 साल का लड़का त्रिलोचन महतो है। जिसका TMC कार्यकर्ताओं ने हत्या कर दी और उसके टीशर्ट पर लिख दिया ‘ये भाजपा में शामिल होने का सज़ा है।’
और आज TMC सांसद डेरेक ओ ब्रायन यूपी गए है कानून व्यवस्था पर ज्ञान बाटने। घिनौनी राजनीति देख रहे हो इनके ?”
(Translation: This is an 18-year-old boy from West Bengal, Trilochan Mahato. He was killed by TMC workers, who wrote ‘This is the punishment for joining BJP’ on his T-Shirt. And today TMC MP Derek O’Brien visited UP to lecture them on law and order. Are you watching their disgusting politics?)

Other similar posts can be seen here, here, here, here, here, here and here.

FACT CHECK

NewsMobile fact-checked the above post and found it to be old and misleading.
On putting the picture through Google Reverse Image Search, we found the same picture in a news article on DNA dated June 24, 2018. The picture description stated that Trilochan Mahato’s body was found hanging from a tree.

Further, we also found this picture in another news article by India Today dated June 1, 2018, claiming that BJP workers are protesting in front of Banga Bhavan in New Delhi over the death of a an 18-year-old party worker whose body was found hanging from a tree in a village in Purulia district. Also, BJP blamed TMC workers for his death.

Other news organizations like Inshorts, ABP Live Gujarati, Punjab Kesari and News Byte App reported that this incident took place in 2018.
On digging further, we also found a post on Twitter by Home Minister Amit Shah dated May 30, 2018, expressing condolence for Trilochan Mahato

Deeply hurt by the brutal killing of our young karyakarta, Trilochan Mahato in Balarampur,West Bengal. A young life full of possibilities was brutally taken out under state’s patronage. He was hanged on a tree just because his ideology differed from that of state sponsored goons. pic.twitter.com/nHAEK09n7R

— Amit Shah (@AmitShah) May 30, 2018

Hence, with the help of the above information, it is clear that 18-year-Trilochan Mahato was killed in 2018 and the incident is not recent as is being claimed.

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