Pir shrine vandalism falsely circulated as attack on Hindu minorities in Bangladesh
Recently, an incident of attack, vandalism, and arson occurred at a Pir’s (spiritual leader’s) shrine in Bangladesh. Meanwhile, a video circulating on the social media platform X shows a group of people armed with sticks attacking and vandalizing a structure. Posts sharing the video claim it depicts an attack on Hindu minorities and their temples in Bangladesh. However, a fact-check by Dismislab reveals that the footage actually shows the aforementioned attack on the Pir’s shrine in Daulatpur Upazila of Kushtia.
A video claiming to show the condition of minorities in the “Islamic Republic of Bangladesh” has circulated on X. In the 22-second video, a group of people is seen climbing onto the roof of a building and vandalizing it with sticks. Several others are seen standing in front of the building. The video has been viewed nearly thirty thousand times, and the post has been shared more than two thousand times. In the comments, some wrote, “Destroying Hindu temple.. shame,” while others remarked, “this is the condition of Hindus all over the world.”
Sharing this post, one individual wrote, “This is happen in Bangladesh against Hindus and Hindu Temples.” (Spelling unchanged) Another, sharing the video, wrote, “This heartbreaking video of a temple being dismantled in Bangladesh highlights the ongoing vulnerability of Hindu minorities.”
Another user shared the post writing, “Hindu minority is always under attack by Islamic terrorists in Bangladesh.” One person shared the video, writing, “Now see what the condition of Hindus is.” Several X users were seen posting the video with hashtags such as “Save Bangladeshi Hindus” or “Hindus Under Attack.”
A reverse image search using keyframes from the circulated video matched a video broadcast on the YouTube page of the media outlet Barta24. In the caption of the video posted by the outlet on April 11, it was written: “Alleged Pir killed, vandalized-arson by carrying out attack on shrine in Kushtia.” The scene in the video currently being circulated matches that video exactly.
Furthermore, a news report was found on the verified Facebook page of Bangla Vision. From the 1-minute and 12-second report, the segment from 16 seconds to 37 seconds—these exact 22 seconds—has recently been spreading with a different claim. In the caption of that report published on April 11, Bangla Vision News wrote: “Alleged Pir beaten to death by carrying out attack on shrine in Kushtia.”
Upon further verification, a relevant keyword search located reports (1, 2, 3) from multiple media outlets on this subject. According to these reports, an incident of attack, vandalism, and arson occurred at a Pir’s shrine established in a place called Darogar Mor in the Philipnagar Union of Daulatpur Upazila, Kushtia. Abdur Rahman alias Shamim (60), the head of the shrine, was killed in the attack by an agitated local mob following allegations of blasphemy.
That is to say, the video circulating with the claim of attacks on Hindu minorities and their temples in Bangladesh is of an incident involving an attack on a Pir’s shrine in the Daulatpur Upazila of Kushtia. It has no connection to attacks on the temples of Hindu practitioners or assaults upon them.
