A March 2025 video of Hindu men caught while begging in Muslim attire in Alipurduar is shared now linking it to the recent Murshidabad violence
Following the passage of the Waqf (Amendment) Act, 2025, in the first week of April, Muslims have been protesting against the newly enacted law across the country, including in West Bengal (here, here, and here). According to news reports (here, here), on 11 April 2025, these protests turned violent in Murshidabad district, West Bengal, resulting in Violence and riots. Reports (here, here, and here) indicate that three people lost their lives in the violence: two Hindus, Chandan Das and Hargobind Das, were killed in a mob attack, while a Muslim man died in police firing. According to reports, hundreds of people (mostly Hindus) affected by the violence in Murshidabad district crossed the Bhagirathi River. They sought refuge in the adjoining Malda district (here, here, and here). On 12 April 2025, the Calcutta High Court ordered the deployment of central forces to restore peace and order in the district (here).
Amidst this, a video (here, here, here, here, and here) showing two individuals wearing skull caps being questioned by a group of people surrounding them is going viral on social media platforms, with the claim that two Hindu men from Bihar were caught disguised as Muslims in Murshidabad. Through this article, let us fact-check the claim made in the post.
Claim: Video shows two Hindu men from Bihar who were caught disguised as Muslims in Murshidabad during the protests against the Waqf (Amendment) Act in April 2025.
Fact: This viral video has no connection with the recent violence in Murshidabad. It shows an incident that took place in Alipurduar district, West Bengal, in March 2025, where two Hindu men from Bihar were caught begging disguised as Muslims, within the limits of Falakata Police Station. The Additional Superintendent of Police (Addl. SP), Alipurduar, also clarified that the incident occurred in the first week of March 2025 and is in no way related to the recent violence in Murshidabad. Hence the claim made in the post is MISLEADING.
To gather more information about the viral video, we conducted a Google reverse image search using keyframes from the footage. This search led us to a Facebook post (archived), dated 05 March 2025, which featured an extended version of the same viral video. According to the description, the incident occurred in Alipurduar district, West Bengal, in March 2025, where two Hindu men from Bihar were caught disguised as Muslims.
Further search revealed multiple Facebook posts from March 2025 that made the same claim (here, here, and here). From this, it is evident that the video is not related to the recent Murshidabad violence that erupted during the protests against the Waqf (Amendment) Act, as the incident predates the passage of the Waqf (Amendment) Bill, 2025.
To verify further details about the incident, we contacted the Alipurduar district police. Speaking to us, Asim Khan, Additional Superintendent of Police (Addl. SP), Alipurduar, stated: “This incident likely dates back to the first week of March 2025 (during the month of Ramzan). At that time, two migrant labourers (Hindus), dressed in Muslim attire, were begging under the Falakata police station limits. They were caught by local villagers while begging, which led to a minor commotion in the area.” He further clarified that no case was registered and that the individuals were not involved in any criminal activity while in disguise. He also stated that this incident is not related to the recent Murshidabad violence.
From all this information, it is clear that a video from the Alipurduar district in West Bengal is being falsely shared to disseminate misinformation about the recent violence in Murshidabad, West Bengal.
To sum up, a video from March 2025, showing two Hindu men caught begging while dressed in Muslim attire in Alipurduar, West Bengal, is being shared with claims linking it to the recent violence in Murshidabad.