Old Video of BJP MLA Yogesh Verma Assault Resurfaces Online, Misrepresented as Recent

A video showing BJP MLA Yogesh Verma being slapped and manhandled during a public altercation has once again gone viral on social media, with many users sharing it as a recent incident. However, available evidence indicates that the footage actually dates back to October 2024 and relates to a dispute during the Lakhimpur Urban Cooperative Bank election process in Uttar Pradesh.

The confrontation occurred during the nomination process for the cooperative bank elections in Lakhimpur Kheri, where tensions had reportedly escalated between rival groups supporting different candidates for the bank's governing body.

Videos from the incident show Yogesh Verma involved in a heated argument before he was allegedly slapped and physically manhandled in the presence of police personnel. Officers intervened and attempted to separate those involved before bringing the situation under control.

According to multiple media reports, the individual accused of assaulting the MLA was Advocate Awadhesh Singh, who was then serving as President of the Lakhimpur Bar Association. Reports stated that Singh was supporting the candidature of his wife, Pushpa Singh, while Yogesh Verma was backing a rival panel in the cooperative bank election.

Following the incident, Yogesh Verma alleged that BJP-supported candidates were prevented from filing nomination papers and claimed that nomination documents were torn before he was assaulted. He also denied allegations circulated by some individuals that he had arrived under the influence of alcohol.

Awadhesh Singh rejected the MLA's allegations and claimed that Yogesh Verma and his supporters had disrupted the nomination process. He alleged that the MLA repeatedly misbehaved with officials and others present. These competing accounts remain the respective versions of the parties involved.

The incident drew political attention at the time, with opposition parties criticising the law-and-order situation and BJP leaders condemning the assault on the sitting MLA. Reports subsequently indicated that the Urban Cooperative Bank election process was postponed.

Although the incident itself is genuine, there is no credible evidence that it occurred recently. The video circulating on social media is an old recording from October 2024, which has resurfaced without its original context.