A video (here, here, & here) depicting a female passenger engaged in a verbal altercation with a bus conductor is widely circulating across social media platforms. The claim accompanying the video suggests that it shows an argument between a bus conductor and a Hindu female passenger over not wearing a burqa while traveling during the month of Ramadan in Bangladesh. In this article, let’s fact-check the claim asserted in the post.
Claim: Video depicting an argument between a bus conductor and a Hindu female passenger over not wearing a burqa while traveling during the month of Ramadan in Bangladesh.
Fact: The video is scripted and does not depict a real incident. It was uploaded by a content creator page on Facebook called “Cartoon Show.” Furthermore, the individuals featured in the viral video can be observed playing various roles in other videos released by this Facebook page. Therefore, the claim made in the post is FALSE.
To learn more about the viral video, we conducted a Google reverse image search using keyframes from the video. This search led us to an extended version of the viral video posted on the Facebook page ‘Cartoon Show’ on 14 March 2024. The Facebook page itself identifies as a ‘video creator’ page.
Upon examining this Facebook page, we discovered that it regularly uploads scripted videos. Most of the videos featured on the channel showcase the same actors who appear in the viral video. Some other videos of them can be found here, here, here, and here. This suggests that the viral video does not depict a real incident but rather a scripted one.
During our search, we also discovered the YouTube channel ‘Valo 24’ of the same video creators. In the ‘About’ section of this channel, it reads: “This is an educational short film, Social short film. Love Kolkata channel uploads all educational short films of our ongoing life happenings. All our stories are fictional. So, if our story matches someone’s life, then we apologize to them. All our stories are created to entertain you. If you get some entertainment from our story.” From all of this information, it becomes evident that the viral video is a scripted one.
To sum it up, a scripted video depicting an argument between a woman passenger and a bus conductor over burqa is being shared as a real incident from Bangladesh.
