Amid the ongoing unrest in Bangladesh, social media platforms are flooded with unverified videos and images of alleged attacks on the minorities in the country. A video currently circulating on X (formerly Twitter) claims to show Hindus in Bangladesh being locked in their homes, which are then set on fire. X user @LindaMikhaylov shared the video with this claim and garnered over 20,000 views. (Archive)
Verified handle @Akhand_Bharat_S also tweeted the same video, garnering 19,000 views, and over 1000 retweets. (Archive)
Several other users amplified the video with the same claim. (Archives- 1, 2, 3, 4)
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Fact Check
Upon a Google reverse image search on one of the key frames of the video, we found the viral video on YouTube with the title, "বগুড়া সদরের সাবগ্রাম ইউনিয়নের ক্ষীদ্রধামা গ্রামে আগুন লেগে ৫ টি পরিবার একদম নিঃস্ব" (Translation: Five families left destitute after fire breaks out in Khidradhama village of Subgram Union in Bogura). The video was uploaded on December 7, 2024.
Taking a cue from this, Alt News ran a keyword search on Facebook and found that several users had posted the video stating that these were visuals from a fire that broke out in the Khidradhama village in Bogura. One such user was Bogura-based individual Mohammed Mozaffor who provided additional details in his caption. According to Mozaffor, the fire broke out around 5 pm on December 7 in the Khidradhamachama village of Bogura Sadar. An electrical short-circuit was initially thought to be the reason behind the fire. The blaze caused an estimated loss of approximately 15 lakh Taka. Mozaffor also named the affected homeowners in his caption: Fazlul, Joni, Sagar, Siddiq, and Sohel. This post was made on the same day as the fire, at 6:03 pm, approximately an hour after the incident occurred.
বগুড়া সদরের সাবগ্রাম ইউনিয়নের ক্ষীদ্রধামা গ্রামে আগুন লেগে ৫ টি পরিবার একদম নিঃস্ব।
মোজাফফর রহমান বগুড়া সিনিয়র...
Posted by Md Mozaffor on Saturday 7 December 2024
Additionally, a report by The Daily Inquilab on December 9, two days after the incident, stated that several Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) leaders had extended financial assistance to the affected families. On the Monday following the fire, Bogra Sadar Upazila BNP President Maftun Ahmed Khan Rubel, along with other BNP leaders, visited the site, met the families, inquired about their situation, and provided financial aid of 25,000 Taka to each family.
In a statement to The Daily Inquilab, one of the affected homeowners, Abu Siddique, reported that five houses were destroyed in the fire. Fortunately, no injuries were reported. The fire caused an estimated loss of 20 lakh Taka, including 4 lakh Taka in cash that had been sent by his son who had recently returned from abroad. Another homeowner, Sohel, told local media outlet Alokito Bogura, "Everything I owned was burnt in the fire. Nothing was left". Both the reports named Fazlur, Sagar, and Joni as the other homeowners affected by the fire. These names match those mentioned in Mozaffur's Facebook post cited earlier.
It is worth noting that, in the viral video, the videographer can be heard in the background saying, "Oh Allah, what wrong have they done (to deserve this)?" as the houses burn. Additionally, at the 0:40-second mark, a woman is heard repeating the Arabic phrase "La ilaha illallah" (Translation: "There is no God but Allah") in prayer. This suggests that the individuals involved may belong to the Muslim community, casting doubt on the claim that the video depicts Hindu people being targeted in a communal attack.
To sum up, a video of several houses burning down is viral with a false communal spin. Users claim that Hindus are being locked in their houses which are then burnt down in targeted attacks against the minorities. In reality, the fire seen in the video was the likely result of a short circuit in the Khidradhama village in Bogura. The affected families included Muslims.
तहकीकात न्यूज़ बसपा महासचिव सतीश चंद्र मिश्रा ने अन्नपूर्णा मंदिर में टेका मत्था, नए महन्त श्री शंकरपुरी पुरी जी महाराज को बधा...
तहकीकात न्यूज़ GORAKHPUR सपा झंडे रंग में रगा गया गोरखपुर में शौचालय,सपा जिलाध्यक्ष ने दिया ज्ञापन जताया विरोध VARANASI भार...
Hello, my name is Ankit Sahu. I'm a 25 year old self-employed Pirate from the Chhindwara.