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| - On November 12, a video capturing a fire on a Projapoti Paribahan bus in Dhaka’s Mirpur-10 area went viral on social media. The footage shows a police officer pouring a liquid from a bottle onto the fire. This scene has been misinterpreted and widely circulated as the police pouring petrol to ignite the fire.
A Facebook post regarding this incident can be viewed here (archive).
Some related posts on social media platform X can be seen here (archive), here (archive), here (archive), here (archive), and here (archive).
Fact Check
The investigation and observation by the Rumor Scanner team revealed that the police officer in the viral video was not pouring petrol onto the bus from a bottle to ignite a fire; rather, he was using a bottle to pour water onto the bus in order to extinguish the fire.
Spread of Misinformation
Channel 24 uploaded a 1 minute and 43 seconds long video on their official Facebook page titled “Bus set on fire in broad daylight with passengers on board!” in Mirpur-10. The video, however, provided no additional information beyond its headline and background music. Later, a 17-second segment of the video, showing the officer pouring liquid onto the fire, was edited and shared on Facebook with claims that the police were responsible for igniting the fire, quickly gaining viral status.
Rumor Scanner Team’s Video Analysis
Rumor Scanner team scrutinised the entire 1 minute and 43 seconds footage from Channel 24, noting that the bus was already on fire before the police officer began pouring liquid from the bottle. Prior to and following the officer’s actions, multiple individuals had attempted to douse the fire with water from bottles.
Findings after analysing the video by Channel-24:
- In the first 20 seconds of Channel 24’s video, the fire is seen starting at the rear seats of the bus. A ‘peaceful gathering’ of the Awami League was nearby, and that’s why police were present at the scene. Several officers were observed rushing towards the bus, while passengers were evacuating quickly. A bus helper was also seen running towards the fire with a water bottle.
- When the officer was seen pouring liquid, there was someone inside the bus, and according to the helper, efforts were made to extinguish the fire from within. Hence, during the officer’s action, the bus helper was inside the vehicle. This can be confirmed in the footage from the 1-minute mark to the subsequent 7 seconds.
- The bus was already ablaze before the police officer arrived. In fact, the officer rushed to the bus after noticing the fire, a scene clearly visible in the initial segment of Channel 24’s video.
Both before and after the police officer’s actions, a person was observed attempting to extinguish the fire with water from a bottle from outside the bus.
Inside the bus, a person was seen spraying water from a bottle. According to the helper, he was attempting to put out the fire with available water bottles immediately after the incident.
Given that the bus was already on fire before the officer started pouring the liquid, it is improbable that the officer was igniting the fire with petrol. At the time of the officer’s action, the bus helper was inside, and several cameras were present at the back. With a ‘peaceful gathering’ of the Awami League nearby, journalists were also at the scene. Therefore, the notion that the scene depicts the police pouring petrol is unsubstantiated. Furthermore, the intensity of the fire did not noticeably increase after the liquid was poured, as would be expected if it were petrol. The comprehensive analysis of the footage shows that the officer, like others, was actively involved in trying to extinguish the fire.
Live Video of the incident
The Rumor Scanner team found a live video from Channel 24. At 2 minutes and 59 seconds into their 1 PM live news, their correspondent Sultan Mahmud Arif connected from Mirpur-10. The newsreader queried about any events related to the blockade and traffic conditions. Before the reporter could fully respond, a fire incident occurred on a Projapoti bus in the background, which was captured in the live report.
During the live broadcast, the reporter said:
“….Just a moment ago, a bus was set on fire. I am talking to you right at that moment. You can see the Projapoti Paribahan, near the Mirpur 10 circle, where miscreants set fire to the Projapoti bus and fled. The bus is burning fiercely inside. A few passengers were inside, who have since left the bus. Law enforcement officers were right beside the vehicle, and as we were showing you the situation here, the fire was started, and the police immediately detained a suspect… The Projapoti Paribahan is still burning, and the police are attempting to extinguish the fire with water from bottles. Since this happened just a few seconds ago, the fire service has not yet arrived… The fire started within seconds, and the police have been actively trying to extinguish it.”
This segment of Channel 24’s live broadcast was also shared on their Facebook page and YouTube channel.
Therefore, during Channel 24’s live broadcast, as the fire incident occurred, the reporter on-site confirmed that police officers were bringing water in bottles to extinguish the fire. Due to the absence of immediate water supply or fire services, police officers, bus staff, and bystanders were seen actively trying to put out the fire using water from bottles and various containers.
Following the fire incident on the Projapoti bus, a live video from Mohona TV at the scene was also discovered. In this video, both civilians and police officers are observed actively attempting to extinguish the fire.
So, the Rumor Scanner’s comprehensive investigation and analysis confirm that the police officer in the video was pouring water, not petrol, to extinguish the fire. Hence, the viral posts propagating the contrary claim are identified as misleading by the Rumor Scanner.
Source
- Rumor Scanner’s Analysis
- Channel 24 Live News
- Mohona TV live footage
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