Nepal protest video falsely shared as anti-Muslim violence in Kolkata
A video recently circulated on Facebook claiming to show houses and businesses being set on fire in Kolkata. Some posts also claimed the footage showed persecution of Muslims. However, a fact-check by Dismislab found that the video is actually from Nepal. According to Google Maps, surrounding features visible in the footage, including buildings, trees and signboards, match the area near the Supreme Court in Kathmandu.
On May 5, the video was posted from a personal Facebook profile with the caption: “The situation in Kolkata is not good; Narendra Modi’s men are burning down people’s houses and businesses.” In the 17-second clip, several people are seen vandalizing a pile of motorcycles with sticks. The remaining footage shows fires burning in multiple buildings. As of the writing of this report, the video had been shared at least 70,000 times and viewed more than 6.5 million times. The same video, carrying identical captions, was also posted by multiple (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6) Facebook profiles and pages.
Additionally, the video was posted from a personal Facebook profile on May 6 with the caption: “Unrest in West Bengal … Muslim persecution underway …” The same video was also shared with identical captions by multiple (1, 2, 3) other Facebook profiles and pages. The footage further circulated across several social media platforms allegedly showing scenes from Kolkata, including on Instagram (1, 2), TikTok and YouTube.
To verify the claim, a search using keyframes from the video led Google AI Overview to identify the location as the Supreme Court area in Nepal. Dismislab later verified the footage against Google Maps. The location is identified there as Ramshah Path in Kathmandu. At the 2-second mark of the video, a red building can be seen behind a tree, with coiled wires visible on an electric pole in front of it. The same scene is also visible on Google Maps.
At the 9-second mark of the video, a signboard can be seen beside a lamppost. Both the lamppost and the adjacent signboard are also visible on Google Maps.
At the 11-second mark of the video, a white and light pink building can be seen behind a tree. A white-and-green lamppost is visible in front of the building, with the number “1” marked on it. Verification on Google Maps shows that the tree, building, lamppost and their colors match the scenes in the circulated video exactly.
Between the 12- and 13-second marks of the video, a building can be seen with two circular objects positioned on either side of its gate. The same gate was identified on Google Maps, where the building is listed as the Supreme Court of Nepal.
Furthermore, at the 13- and 17-second marks of the video, Nepal’s national flag can be seen on the backs of two individuals. For additional verification, Dismislab contacted Umesh Shrestha, editor of the Nepalese fact-checking organization NepalFactCheck.org. He said the footage was recorded in the Supreme Court area on Ramshah Path in Kathmandu and that such attacks in the area occurred only during the Gen-Z movement in Nepal.
That is to say, footage from the Gen-Z movement in Nepal in 2025 is being falsely circulated as showing attacks on Muslims in Kolkata.
The video circulated amid heightened tensions following the West Bengal Assembly election results announced on May 4, in which the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) secured victory. Media reports documented several incidents of post-election violence across West Bengal, leaving at least four people dead and many others injured.
Dismislab has previously published multiple fact-check reports related to the West Bengal Assembly elections.
