Misleading videos spread false claims of communal violence in Bangladesh
After Sheikh Hasina’s departure from the post of Prime Minister and her subsequent exodus, there have been widespread reports alleging attacks on religious minorities in Bangladesh. Rumors have been spreading on social media, with claims of attacks on temples, houses, and incidents of arson. However, verification by Dismislab reveals that some videos and images circulating on X (formerly Twitter) do not depict recent incidents of communal attacks in Bangladesh. For example, incidents of assaulting leaders of the former ruling party’s student wing, during the anti-quota movement, are being claimed as attacks on minorities. Additionally, several teachers who recently resigned are being incorrectly identified as followers of Sanatan Dharma.
On X, numerous posts with hashtags like Save Bangladeshi Hindus, Hindus are not safe in Bangladesh, All eyes on Bangladeshi Hindus, Hindu Lives Matter have been widely circulated. Many of these posts appear to originate from users based in India.
The quota reform movement in Bangladesh gradually turned into an anti-government movement. After weeks of deadly clashes, internet shutdowns, and curfews, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina resigned and left the country on August 5. This was followed by a deterioration in law and order, with reports of attacks on minorities across the country. Dismislab has observed that confusion and misinformation are being propagated on social media platforms.
Misrepresentation of Muslim teachers as minorities
A user on the social media platform X posted a video claiming that Jamaat-e-Islami and BNP terrorists in Bangladesh are now forcing Hindu government officials to write resignation letters and removing them from their jobs.
A keyword search conducted by Dismislab identified two clips from the video that also appear on Facebook. The first clip shows the resignation of Amena Begum, Principal of Kabi Nazrul Government College; the second features the resignation of Farhana Khanam, a senior teacher at Viqarunnisa Noon School and College. Neither of them follow Sanatan Dharma, but the post on X spread rumors claiming otherwise.
Both incidents took place on August 11. On that day, amid pressure from Anti-Discrimination Movement’s students at Kabi Nazrul Government College, Principal Amena Begum resigned writing ‘I resign‘ on a blank sheet of paper. A video of the incident went viral on Facebook. In a similar situation, the Principal of Viqarunnisa Noon School and College, along with two senior teachers, also resigned. One of the two senior teachers was Farhana Khanam. A video of her resignation also went viral on Facebook.
Old videos of former ruling party activists misrepresented
On August 9, a video was shared on X claiming that “Shame on the government and people of Bangladesh for targeting innocent minorities, including Hindus, who make up only 10% of the population.” Upon verification, it was found that the viral footage dates back to July 17. During the Anti-Discrimination Student Movement, many former ruling party’s leaders and activists from educational institutions in Dhaka who were against this movement, including Eden College, started leaving their halls in secret. Many were caught by the protesting students. The video shows one activist, who is actually an associate of Sushmita Baroi, Vice President of Eden College Chhatra League, and a Muslim student. However, the post falsely identifies her as a follower of Sanatan Dharma. The poster also tagged the X accounts of US President Joe Biden, US Vice President Kamala Harris, former president and Republican leader Donald Trump and the owner of X Elon Musk, with a caption accusing the world of remaining silent in the face of this “injustice.”
Earlier, on August 7, a video of two Bangladeshi women being tied up with ropes was shared on X, falsely claiming that the victims were followers of Sanatan Dharma. On August 9, Dismislab published a fact-check report debunking this rumor.
That same day, an X user shared a video combining this clip with footage from two other unrelated incidents, claiming, ”Bangladesh has become hell for Hindus. Only separate Hindudesh is the solution.” One of the clips shows a Brahmanbaria former ruling party’s leader being assaulted by an angry crowd, while another clip depicts two leaders of the Badrunnessa Government Women’s College ruling party’s student wing’s leader being tied to pillars. None of these clips are connected to communal violence.
False Claims of abducting a Hindu girl by student protesters
On August 9, a video was shared on X falsely accusing students involved in the anti-discrimination movement of killing a Hindu family and abducting a daughter of that family. The video, shared by the Verified X Account of Hindupact, an initiative of the World Hindu Council of America (VHPA), was further reposted on X using hashtags like “Save Bangladeshi Hindus” and “Hindu Lives Matter.” The video shows several men trying to force a woman into a microbus.
Dismislab’s verification reveals that this incident is unrelated to the recent violence that followed Sheikh Hasina’s resignation on August 5. According to a report by Prothom Alo, the incident is a family matter. On August 8, in Senbag upazila of Noakhali, the woman’s husband attempted to kidnap her. At that time, three people were arrested, while others escaped. Fact-checking organization Factwatch also published a report addressing the misinformation surrounding this incident.
The video is not of an Army Attack on protesting Hindus
A video recently went viral, falsely claiming that the Bangladeshi army attacked Hindu activists protesting against communal violence, resulting in injuries to dozens. The video was shared from the Baba Banaras account with a caption: “Reportedly Bangladeshi Army attacked Hindu protesters while they were protesting against radical Islamists for r@ping & Killing Hindus in Bangladesh. Dozens of people were injured including children and women.”
However, upon verification, it was revealed that the video actually dates back to July 7. It shows an incident in which five people were killed and 30 others injured due to electrocution while participating in the Rath Yatra, a Hindu chariot festival in Bogra. The video clip was originally part of a news report uploaded on Desh TV’s verified YouTube channel, Desh TV News, on July 7.
Not the temple of Thakurgaon: video shows shrine in Jessore
A video circulating on X from several accounts (1, 2, 3) shows an establishment being set on fire. The account “Baba Banaras,” which shared the video, claimed it was from a temple in Thakurgaon district, alleging that Islamists had vandalized the Hindu temple, set it on fire, and killed the temple’s priest. The post also exaggerated the claims, stating that more than two thousand Hindus were killed, Hindu women were raped, and thousands of temples and Hindu homes were burned.
However, verification reveals that the video displays the logo of a channel named Sunni TV, and the structure shown in the video has the words “Hazrat Garib Shah Rah Mazar Sharif” written in Bengali. A search confirms that this shrine is located in Bakultala, Jessore. Comparing the shrine’s appearance with images (1, 2) and using Google Maps confirms that the video, misrepresented as being from Thakurgaon, actually shows the shrine in Jessore.
The original video can be found on a Facebook page called Sunni TV, posted on August 7 with the caption, “Was the movement done to destroy the shrine??” The video also shows glimpses of the shrine’s structure.
The video is not of Pradeep Bhowmik’s killing in Sirajganj
A disturbing video showing a body hanging upside down and being beaten is being circulated by several accounts on X (1, 2, 3, 4). The caption claims that the deceased is Communist Party of Bangladesh (CPB) leader Pradeep Bhowmik. An account named Sunanda Roy captioned the video: “Condition of Communist Hindus in Bangladesh. He is Communist leader Pradeep. He is a member of CPB: Communist Party of Bangladesh. Bangladeshi Islamists lynched and hanged him. They will not ask about your caste or ideology. For them you are just a Kafir Hindu.”
However, a media report confirms that Pradeep Bhowmik was killed with a sharp weapon while working at the Raiganj Press Club in Sirajganj on August 4. There is no evidence that Pradeep was beaten to death, and the face of the body in the video does not match the photo of Pradeep Bhowmik published in Daily Kalbela.
Further verification revealed a Facebook post dated August 7, which captioned the video: “The body of our university junior Rabiul Limon has been recovered from the agitators.”
Another user shared a still image from the video, claiming to be Rabiul’s classmate. The user compared the body in the video with a photo of Rabiul and noted that the body was not that of the policeman who shot at Abu Saeed.
Searching for “Rabiul Limon” on Facebook reveals multiple posts (1, 2, 3, 4) from his friends, classmates, and colleagues condemning his murder.
According to these accounts, Limon hid after being fired upon by the police in the Uttara House Building area on August 5. When he emerged, an excited mob, mistaking him for a police officer, beat him to death. A media report confirms that a youth was beaten to death and then hung upside down from a tree on August 5 in the Uttara House Building area.
Thus, the viral video does not depict the Hindu leader Pradeep Bhowmik being beaten to death in Sirajganj, but rather an incident from the Uttara area of the capital.
Old video misleadingly depicted as Hindu Protest in Dhaka
An old video of a 2023 march by the Gafargaon Upazila Chhatra League is being misleadingly circulated on X. The caption falsely claims, “Saffron flood on the streets of Dhaka. Hindus of Bangladesh have taken to the streets to protest against the attacks on Hindus in Bangladesh.” The video was originally uploaded to the official YouTube channel of the Bangladesh Awami League (the former ruling party) on September 2, 2023. The same video has been recently shared with misleading claims and Dismislab posted a FactCheck graphics card to clarify the misinformation.
Video claiming rape of a Dalit woman by 140 is a rumor
A Screenshot of a video circulating on X falsely claims that a Dalit Hindu woman was gang-raped by 140 men in Bangladesh. The post alleges that 140 people were involved in the gang rape of a Dalit Hindu woman in Bangladesh. However, according to a report by India’s fact-checking agency Alt News, the video actually originates from a 2023 incident in Bangalore, India. The same image was later shared on social media, falsely claiming it depicted Hindu persecution in Bangladesh. A detailed report on the incident is available from News Bangla 24, a Bangladeshi news outlet. When similar rumors were spread recently using a picture from the same video, Dismislab published a fact-check report to debunk the misinformation.
Additionally, while the fire was actually at a shop in Moulvibazar, it spread as rumors of a fire at the Kalimandir temple. In response, Mohammad Zubair, co-founder and fact-checker of Alt News in India, posted screenshots on X, clarifying, “Fake News. The Temple wasn’t burnt. Fire was set to a shop in front of the Temple… The temple is safe.”
Of the 11 cases of false claims spread through 13 X accounts, 11 originated in India, and two were from the United States.
Kalim Ahmed, an India based OSINT researcher specializing in disinformation and foreign information manipulation and interference (FIMI), highlighted Twitter’s significant role in spreading disinformation about communal violence. According to Ahmed, “Twitter/X has been the primary ground where an audience has been built to echo the message. What starts on Twitter does not necessarily remain on the platform. It is very contagious. In situations such as these, where the information sphere is polluted, it is wise to wait for verified news reports from reputed organizations.”
He further added that, South Asia at large has a history of communal violence, anything can potentially spark a full-scale riot. He opined that the recent regime change provided an opportune moment for these disinformation campaigns to shift public perception and influence opinion.
