Viral claim on Kolkata tram services restarting under BJP rule found misleading

A video went viral on the Social media from West Bengal where a decorated tram was moving through the streets of Kolkata amid celebrations with people traveling on board. After that many users claimed the elected BJP government has resumed the tram services in the city. However, the video was later reportedly found to be fake during fact-checking. 

Suvendu Adhikari took the oath as the Chief Minister of West Bengal on May 9, chaired the first Cabinet meeting and announced several decisions, including the implementation of the Central scheme in the state.

Meanwhile, a video went viral on social media showing a decorated tram moving through the streets of Kolkata with people traveling on board and celebrating the moment. As the BJP came into power, many users claimed that they have resumed the tram services in the city.

One user on X wrote, “The BJP government has breathed new life into Kolkata’s heritage tram lines. The suspended tram service has resumed.”

Another user on X wrote, "Bringing back Kolkata's heritage to the BJP government.“

Later, the newsletter conducted a fact-check using a reverse image search of keyframes from the viral video, which led to an Instagram post linked to the original footage post shared on April 21 by ‘trams_of_calcutta,’ the official account of the Calcutta Tram Users Association (CTUA).

The caption of the post stated, “The Baishakhi Tramjatra 2026 arrives at the Esplanade Terminus with all three decorated trams arriving one after another.”

The visuals were matched with the original clip, confirming that the viral video was fake, as per reports.

The CTUA who organised the event reportedly clarified that the tram service was organised during the Bengali New Year and it was not linked to any official announcement regarding full-scale restoration of train services in the city.