False ‘Hindu genocide call’ allegations spread through manipulated video
Recently, two videos have been posted on various social media platforms claiming that there are threats of genocide against Hindus in Bangladesh or that Hindus have been given an ultimatum to leave the country within 7 days. These two videos have also been featured in reports by several Indian media outlets. There, too, the videos have been presented as evidence of threats against Hindus. However, Dismislab’s verification found that one of the videos was edited to add audio from a different event, and the context of the other video was changed in a way that had no mention of a 7-day ultimatum for Hindus.
First video
On September 29, a video of a rally was uploaded from an account named “Voice of Bangladeshi Hindus” on X (formerly Twitter), claiming that “Bangladeshi jihadists are calling for Hindu gen0cide.” In the video, a person is heard saying, “To the Hindu terrorists, I will say this is not Gujarat, this is Bangladesh. I will tell the Hindus, this is not Delhi, this is Bangladesh. I will say this is not India, this is the sacred land of Shah Jalal, Bangladesh. Here, you will beat my brother to death and show us domestic weapons in the name of worship! If you want to play with us, come to the field, we are ready to play.” This video was later shared by several other X accounts (1, 2, 3, 4, 5) .
While searching for the location of the video recorded- Dismislab found a live video on Facebook. It shows that the scene was from a rally held on September 27 in the capital’s Middle Badda area. In August, Indian priest Ramgiri Maharaj made derogatory comments about Prophet Muhammad (PBUH), and BJP legislator Nitesh Rane supported those remarks. The rally was organized to protest this incident. The statement in question is not heard anywhere in the whole live video. Similar protests and rallies were also held in various districts of Bangladesh.
A portion of the video from the Middle Badda rally was edited to include audio from Mufti Rezaul Karim Abrar’s speech, which was originally found in a video uploaded on YouTube on May 3. He had made that statement addressing Hindus in the context of the mob lynching of two construction workers, who were killed after being accused of setting fire to a temple. The two workers were beaten to death in Faridpur’s Madhukhali Upazila on April 18.
Second video
Another video has been posted on social media, claiming that Islamic terrorists or extremists have given Hindus a 7-day ultimatum to leave Bangladesh. This video has also been shared on several X accounts, Facebook, and YouTube (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6).
In the video, a person is heard saying, “I want to warn them. If we need to take to the streets again for their trial, we will. They are still conspiring. Sometimes in the name of Hindus, sometimes as minorities, sometimes under the name of Chittagong Press Club… What do the leaders of Chittagong Press Club say! Whether they call themselves leaders or so-called journalists, I want to warn them. Don’t stall. Pack up and leave the country. Leave immediately. I am warning you. Be cautious. I’m giving you a one-week ultimatum. After one week, we will see you!” The videos circulating on social media claim that these words were directed toward Hindus in Bangladesh. However, this claim is not accurate.
Dismislab’s verification found that on September 27, the statement was made by Saifuddin Mohammad Emdad, a student injured during the quota reform movement in July. He made this remark at an event titled “July Remembrance and Cultural Evening,” organized by a social organization called Bikiron in Chittagong. The full speech is available in a video uploaded on YouTube on September 28. Emdad’s one-week ultimatum was directed at those who had attacked students during the movement.
At 4 minutes and 35 seconds into the video, Emdad says, “So far, the accomplices of the dictatorship are roaming the streets and alleys of Chittagong. I want an answer as to why they are still roaming around. How do they have so much courage? They fired shots at the student-mass of Bahaddarhat and New Market of Chittagong. Why are they still walking around openly?”
This makes it clear that his words were directed at the past Awami League government and its collaborators. According to the Central Subcommittee on Health and the National Citizen Committee, it is known that during the student-mass uprising across the country, 1,581 people were killed and more than 31,000 were injured. In other words, Emdad’s remarks were not aimed at the Hindu community. Only the final part of his speech was selectively spread, falsely claiming he gave an ultimatum for Hindus to leave the country.
The videos were also broadcast by Indian media outlets
Not only on social media, but the two videos were also broadcast by several Indian media outlets. Referring to these videos, CNN-News18 published a video report on YouTube titled, “No Durga Puja Celebration in Bangladesh: Islamists Warn Hindus in Bangladesh.” Additionally, Asianet News published a report focusing only on the second video, claiming that Hindus were given a 7-day ultimatum to leave the country. The same video was shared by an X account named The Jaipur Dialogues, drawing a comparison between the situation in Bangladesh and Kashmir.
