At least 34 people were arrested and internet services shut down in West Bengal's Malda district after communal clashes were reported from Mothabari and surrounding areas. Tension erupted on Wednesday, March 27, when a preparatory rally for Ram Navami was passing by a local mosque. It was alleged that a group of people threw fire crackers near the mosque. As news spread, a section of people blocked roads. When police intervened, stones were allegedly pelted at them and their vehicles were ransacked. Baton gas and tear gas shells had to be used to control the mob. Additionally, the mob ransacked public vehicles and shops in the area.
Following the violence, several supposed visuals of the incident surfaced online. One of them shows a group of people setting fire to objects placed on roads, autorickshaws, and what seems to be an ambulance. Several prominent Right-wing influencers shared the video claiming that Muslims had wreaked havoc on the streets. X user @ocjain4 was among them. (Archive)
BJP leader Amit Thakur tweeted the same visuals and claimed that Hindus were under attack in West Bengal. Thakur later deleted his tweet. Here is an archive.
X handle @JaipurDialogues quote-tweeted Thakur's tweet and claimed that the situation of Hindus in Bengal wass akin to the situation of Hindus in Bangladesh. (Archive)
News outlet NEWJ also tweeted the video with the caption, "Communal violence in Malda, West Bengal! Hindu shops targeted and vandalized, atmosphere tense! Administration on alert" (Archive)
Several other X users amplified the video claiming that they are visuals from the violence in Malda. (Archives- 1, 2, 3, 4)
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The video is also viral on Facebook.
Fact Check
Upon a reverse image search of one of the key frames from the video, we were able to locate the same video on Facebook uploaded on Facebook on January 7, 2024. The caption on the video claims that the video is from Dhaka, Bangladesh.
https://www.facebook.com/jabeda.jahangira.ripana/videos/362466113058800
However, we noticed several comments flagging the Dhaka claim. One of the comments claimed that the video was from Sylhet in Bangladesh. Upon a relevant keyword search using words like CNG autorickshaw (can be seen burning in viral video) and Sylhet, we found a Facebook post from November 28, 2023, where the uploader condemns the violence unleashed by Bangladesh Nationalist Party members on the common citizens. The Facebook post contains a screenshot from by Bangladeshi daily Prothom Alo which shows the viral video. We also located the said report.
As the reader can notice, the video seen in the Prothom Alo is the same one viral in the context of the violence in Malda. According to the video report, the arson was committed by BNP supporters to were participating in a massive protest rally in support of a blockade called by the BNP. In the course of this, a CNG autorickshaw, an ambulance and a rickshaw were set on fire.
Alt News also geolocated the video and found that the commotion took place in Subid Bazar in Sylhet.
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West Bengal Police also released a statement fact-checking the viral video. they additionally stated that amplifying misinformation would be treated with zero tolerance.
To sum up, a 2023 video from Sylhet, Bangladesh, which shows BNP supporters wreaking havoc on the streets of Subid Bazar is viral in India now with claims that it shows Muslims attacking Hindus in Malda, West Bengal.
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Hello, my name is Ankit Sahu. I'm a 25 year old self-employed Pirate from the Chhindwara.