Unrelated video circulates claiming arson at BNP leader’s house
A video circulating on Facebook claims that Bangladesh Jamaat‑e-Islami and Chhatra Shibir activists set fire to the home of a rival BNP leader in Kushtia district. But a Dismislab fact-check found the claim to be false. News reports show the incident actually occurred in a different district, Narsingdi, during a clash over local dominance on February 4.
The video was posted on February 16 from a personal Facebook profile. The 23‑second clip shows a house on fire as several people watch, with shouting heard in the background. The caption read: “Jamaat‑Shibir activists set fire to a BNP leader’s house in Kushtia.”
Another Facebook page shared the same clip with a slightly altered caption: “Jamaat‑Shibir activists accused of setting fire to a BNP leader’s home in Kushtia.” As of publication time, the video had more than 350,000 views, over 7,000 shares, and more than 9,000 reactions. One user wrote, “Strongly condemn this. They should be held accountable.” Another commented, “All pro‑liberation forces should unite, remove Razakars, save the country.”
Multiple Facebook profiles and pages (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6) also shared the same video with identical claims.
A reverse image search of several keyframes led Dismislab to a February 4 video posted from a personal Facebook profile. The caption of that post read: “Violent clash in Raipura, Narsingdi – one dead, around 10 injured, homes set on fire.” The 23‑second clip matches the viral video exactly.
Further verification using relevant keywords found news reports (1, 2, 3, 4) confirming the same. According to the daily Samakal, citing police and family members, a clash broke out on February 4 in Raipura, Narsingdi, between groups led by Hanif Master and Ershad Mia over local dominance. Homes were set on fire, and a school student named Mustakim Mia was shot dead. None of the media reports mentioned involvement of any political party.
In short, the video claiming arson at a BNP leader’s home in Kushtia is false. The footage is from an unrelated incident nearly two weeks earlier in Raipura, Narsingdi, where a house was burned during a local feud, not a politically motivated attack.
