Indonesian night scene circulated as Khagrachhari violence

A video claiming to show a nighttime scene from Mahajan Para in Khagrachhari recently spread across social media. However, Dismislab’s verification found that the footage is old and actually shows the Nagasopuro Night Market in Surakarta, Indonesia.

The 12-second video, originally shared on September 27 from a Facebook page named “Husain Saddam,” shows a car and several motorcycles moving from one side of a road to the other. At one point, an object is launched from the car into the sky, followed by sparks of fire and smoke. Several people on the street can be seen running in different directions. The caption reads, “The night scene of Mahajan Para in Khagrachhari has become even more terrifying. May Allah protect everyone, Ameen.”

The video has been shared more than 400 times and viewed over 400,000 times so far.

The same video, with the same claim, was also found circulating from multiple other Facebook pages and profiles (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6).

Dismislab conducted multiple keyframe and relevant keyword searches of the video and found a video identical to the one in question. The investigation revealed that a two-minute video posted on August 30 by an Instagram account named “Martapurapedia” contained an identical segment between the 5-second and 17-second marks that matched exactly with the video circulating as being from Khagrachhari.

It is worth noting that protests began in Indonesia’s capital, Jakarta, on August 25 in response to several government decisions. The movement later spread nationwide after a delivery driver was killed when he was run over by a police vehicle.

Dismislab conducted a reverse image search using keyframes showing several visible structures from the video. The search yielded an identical image of the gate-like structure on Shutterstock, a stock photography website. The caption of the image read: “Solo, Surakarta, Indonesia – July 29, 2025. A sunny afternoon view of central Solo city from behind the ‘Nagasopuro’ gate, located at the intersection of Jalan Slamet Riyadi.”

Subsequently, the names of the locations were searched on Google Maps. Using Google Maps’ Street View, Dismislab observed that several structures, designs, and visual elements seen in the video matched exactly with the Nagasopuro Gate and the surrounding buildings, structures, and artworks.

In the eighth second of the circulated video, a red building is shown. The shape and design of this building are identical to those of a structure located behind the Nagasopuro Gate. Both buildings feature a similar artwork. In the nighttime footage, the building appears red under neon lighting, whereas in the daytime Street View image, it appears reddish-brown. On the roof of the building, there is a white network tower or antenna, which is also visible in the nighttime footage.

Another structure resembling the one in the video is the decorative gate or archway positioned at the entrance of the road. The design of the archway seen in the nighttime footage matches precisely with the one visible in Street View. While it appears grayish-blue in the video, Google Maps’ Street View shows that its actual color is distinctly sky blue.

Additionally, an identical archway is visible on the opposite side of the road. Both archways can be seen in the circulated video. The design of the building located behind the opposite archway also matches exactly with the structure visible in the video.

In another keyframe from the video, a white building is visible a short distance ahead of the archway. A signboard with English lettering can be seen on top of the building, though it is unclear in the nighttime footage. The same building, identical in position, shape, design, and color – appears in Google Maps’ Street View. A signboard is also present on its roof, displaying the word “TIP” in red English letters.

Therefore, the location shown in the video is not Mahajan Para in Khagrachhari, but rather a place called Nagasopuro Night Market in the city of Kota Surakarta, Indonesia.

It is noteworthy that last Tuesday night, according to reports published by several news outlets, a teenage girl was allegedly gang-raped in Khagrachhari while returning home after private tuition. The reports stated that around 11 p.m., she was found unconscious in a field. Police later arrested a suspect named Shayon Shil in connection with the incident, and the court placed him on a six-day remand.

Following the spread of this news, protest gatherings were held in Khagrachhari, Rangamati, Bandarban, and several other parts of the country. In Khagrachhari, a blockade program was organized yesterday demanding justice for the incident, which eventually escalated into clashes between opposing groups. To bring the situation under control, the administration imposed Section 144 (a legal order restricting public gatherings).

Disclaimer: The original version of this fact-check report was published in Bengali on Dismislab’s Bengali website on September 28, 2025. The English translation was completed later; however, to maintain time accuracy and avoid any potential misinterpretation, the English version has been published with the original publication date.