Video of scuffle at Star Kabab misrepresented as fight over BNP leader failing to pay bill
A video was circulated on multiple social media platforms claiming that a fight broke out when a BNP (Bangladesh Nationalist Party) leader attempted to leave a restaurant without paying the bill. However, a fact-check by Dismislab reveals that the circulated video was actually of restaurant staff attacking customers at Star Kabab. According to media reports, on March 7 of this year, at the Star Hotel and Restaurant located on Johnson Road in the Rai Saheb Bazar intersection area of Old Dhaka, an altercation began between restaurant staff and several customers after the customers questioned the price of dates for Iftar (the evening meal to break the Ramadan fast). At one point, several restaurant staff members attacked the customers.
On May 30, a 43-second video was posted from a Facebook page named “Bangladesh” with a caption stating, “A severe thrashing while trying to leave without paying the bill after going to a restaurant and introducing oneself as a BNP leader.” In the 43-second video, multiple employees dressed in red clothing are seen fighting with multiple customers, and at one point, employees are also seen throwing chairs. Up until the writing of this report, the video has been viewed more than 12,000 times and shared 123 times. The video has been posted with the same claim from multiple (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6) personal Facebook profiles and groups. The claim has also been circulated from multiple (1, 2) Instagram accounts.
To verify the truth, a reverse image search led to a video report by Channel i. The title of the report published on March 8 was, “Staff attack on customers at Star Kabab.” This report is an exact match to the circulated video. Video reports from multiple (1, 2, 3) media outlets also referred to the incident as an attack by Star Kabab staff on customers.
Multiple (1, 2, 3) written media reports were also found during the reverse image search regarding this matter. A report published in Ittefaq on March 8 stated, “Allegations of assaulting customers have arisen once again against the staff of Star Hotel and Restaurant in the capital. This time, the incident occurred following an argument over the price of dates during Iftar at the Star Hotel branch located on Johnson Road in the Rai Saheb Bazar intersection area of Old Dhaka. At this time, several staff members were seen beating customers with chairs and bottles. Multiple customers were injured as a result. A video of the incident has spread on social media.” The photos used in this report match the scenes of the circulated video exactly.
That is to say, a video of an attack on customers at Star Kabab is being circulated with the claim that a fight broke out when a BNP leader tried to leave without paying the bill.
