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| - Amid the unrest in Bangladesh following the resignation of erstwhile Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Monday, August 5, reports indicate that Hindu minorities in the country are being targeted in several places. A video that is viral in this context shows a woman with a tape over her mouth and her hands and legs tied up. Users have shared the clip with the claim that the woman was being targeted for being a Hindu in Bangladesh.
News 18 Hindi published a report about the video claiming that the girl seen in the video was a Hindu. The title of the report read, “यह वीडियो आपको देगा झकझोर… देखिए बांग्लादेश में हिंदू लड़की के साथ क्या हो रहा है… मुस्लिम देशों में अल्पसंख्यक होना क्या गुनाह है?” (Translation: This video will shock you… See what is happening to the Hindu girl in Bangladesh… Is it a crime to be a minority in Muslim countries?) The article was later taken down. Here is an archive to Google Cache.
Right-wing propaganda handle The Jaipur Dialogues (@JaipurDialogues) run by Sanjay Dixit tweeted the video with the same claim. The tweet garnered 1.7 million views and 10,000 retweets. (Archive)
Hindu Women in Bangladesh!
They are being Raped and Killed! Hindus are staring at a Genocide in Bangladesh
These images and videos make you feel so helpless! pic.twitter.com/j47Ri5QX2p
— The Jaipur Dialogues (@JaipurDialogues) August 7, 2024
Verified user @jpsin1 also tweeted the video with the hashtags #HindusAreNotSafeInBangladesh, #HindusUnderAttack, #SaveHindusinBangladesh and the like. (Archive)
Welcome to new bangladesh#HindusAreNotSafeInBangladesh #HindusUnderAttack #Hindus #SaveHindusinBangladesh #SaveBangladesiHindus #AllEyesOnBangladeshiHindus#HelpBangladeshiHindus#helpbangladeshisanatani pic.twitter.com/3CZwuu1aV7
— 🇮🇳Jitendra pratap singh🇮🇳 (@jpsin1) August 7, 2024
Several other users also tweeted the video with the same claim. (Archives- 1, 2, 3, 4)
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Fact Check
Upon reverse image searching key frames from the viral video, we discovered that the footage was uploaded on multiple platforms in July 2024, claiming that the woman seen in the video was from Jagannath University (1, 2). Needless to say, this was much before Sheikh Hasina’s resignation.
We also noticed a bus in the background of the viral video with Jagannath University written in Bangla. We found an image on Google Maps of Jagannath University that confirmed the video was indeed shot at the university. Below is a comparison.
We also found that a Facebook page called JnU Short Stories posted the video on July 26 clarifying that the girl seen in the video was a student of Jagannath University and was not affiliated with any political party. In the video, she was seen protesting against the suicide of JnU student Fairuz Abontika. Abontika reportedly took her life in March this year after allegedly facing harassment from assistant proctor Deen Islam and a student named Amman Siddique. Students of the university staged a demonstration demanding punishment for the two.
We also found that the video was being circulated in Bangladesh in July with a different claim. Bangladeshi fact-checking outlet Rumor Scanner spoke to the woman seen in the video who also confirmed that the video had been shot in March 17, while students were protesting against the authorities of the university following Abontika’s death. “Dramas, silent plays and torch processions were held there. The scene that is being shared is from the preparation for the silent play”, she said in her statement to Rumor Scanner.
Hence, a video from a March 2024 protest, in which a woman is seen tied up with tape over her mouth, is now being circulated with the false claim that she is a Hindu being targeted in Bangladesh.
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