Attack on Jamaat leader’s institution circulated as attack on Gita school
A video has been circulating on Facebook with the claim that terrorists set fire to a Gita school run by the Hindu Welfare Trust in Satkhira. However, a Dismislab fact-check found that the educational institution is a kindergarten in Naogaon not in Satkhira and it was founded by Shafiul Hasan Dipu, the Jamaat-e-Islami amir of Akkelpur upazila in Joypurhat. The attack occurred following allegations that Shafiqul Hasan attempted to rape a female student.
On September 12, a 15-second video was posted from a Facebook profile with the caption, “Terrorists have set fire to a Gita school run by the Hindu Welfare Trust, Kulia, Debhata, Satkhira, Bangladesh.” The video shows chairs burning inside a room and a tin-roofed structure being vandalized. Until the publication of this report, the video had been viewed 93,000 times and shared 1,100 times.
Using keyframes from the video, Dismislab conducted a reverse image search and found a video published on August 5 on an Instagram profile named “S Bangla TV Digital.” Titled “Vandalism during protest over allegations of student abuse in Badalgachhi,” parts of the video match the circulated footage.
Dismislab also found a video report published on August 4 on the YouTube channel of Maasranga News. Titled “Jamaat leader accused of attempting to rape school girl,” the report shows a damaged structure that matches the one seen in the circulated video.
A search using relevant keywords found multiple reports about the incident published by news outlets (1, 2, 3). A report published by Prothom Alo on August 4 said that a Jamaat leader in Badalgachhi upazila of Naogaon had been accused of attempting to rape a student at his educational institution. Angered by the allegations, local residents attacked, vandalized and set fire to the institution. The report further said that the accused, Shafiul Hasan, is the Jamaat-e-Islami amir of Akkelpur upazila in Joypurhat. He had founded the kindergarten school in Badalgachhi, Naogaon, and had been running it as its head teacher.
Therefore, footage of local residents setting fire to Shafiul Hasan’s educational institution in Naogaon following allegations of attempted rape is being circulated with the claim that it shows an attack on a Gita school run by the Hindu Welfare Trust in Satkhira.
