Amid reports (here & here) of violence against Hindus and other minorities in Bangladesh, including attacks on their places of worship, a video showing distressing visuals of the lifeless bodies of three children and a woman is being widely shared across social media platforms (here, here, and here). It is claimed that the visuals depict a brutal attack by Muslims on Hindu homes in Giripur, Bangladesh, reportedly injuring many Hindus, including women and children. We fact-check the claim made in the post in this article.
(Warning: Video contains disturbing visuals. Reader discretion is recommended)
Claim: Video shows visuals of Hindu women and children who were killed in an attack by Muslims in Giripur, Bangladesh.
Fact: This viral video is not related to Bangladesh. It is from a tragic incident that occurred on 06 November 2024, in which a mother and her three children died in Kilpara village, under the jurisdiction of Rauta police station in Purnea district, Bihar, India. Hence the claim made in the post is FALSE.
To learn more about this viral video, we conducted a Google reverse image search using keyframes from the video. This search led us to a news report video (archived link) featuring similar visuals of the lifeless bodies of three children and a woman, titled: “Mother and 3 children of the same family died, case of Kilpara village of Rauta police station area” (translated from Hindi to English). This video was uploaded to a YouTube channel named ‘BC’ 24 News on 07 November 2024. According to the news report, the video shows an incident that occurred in Kilpara village, under the jurisdiction of Rauta police station in Purnea district, Bihar, India, in which a mother and her three children from the same family died.
Upon comparing the viral video with the YouTube video, it is evident that the viral video depicts an incident in which a mother and her three children died in Purnea district, Bihar, in November 2024. A comparison of the viral video with visuals from the news video report shared on YouTube is shown below.
To learn more details about this incident, we conducted a relevant keyword search. This search led us to an ‘India TV’ news report published on 07 November 2024. According to the report, the police stated that the woman and her three children – two boys and a girl – were found hanging from a bamboo pole in their house on 06 November 2024 in Bihar’s Purnea district. The deceased have been identified as Babita Devi (32), her daughter Riya (8), and her two sons, Suraj Kumar (5) and Sujit Kumar (3). Providing further details about the incident, Baunsi Sub-Divisional Police Officer (SDPO) Aditya Kumar said, “The exact cause of the incident is yet to be ascertained. The matter is being investigated from all angles. The bodies have been sent for post-mortem examination.”
According to a ‘Times of India’ report, speaking to the media about this incident, Rauta SHO Gyan Ranjan said, “During the preliminary investigation, it was revealed that the woman was mentally unstable. The incident occurred when Ravi had gone to a temple. She locked the door of the house from the inside, hung her children from nooses first, and then committed suicide. When Ravi returned home, he found the door locked from the inside. When he did not receive a response from his wife, he broke open the door with the help of an iron rod.” Additional news reports about this incident can be found here, and here.
Upon further research, we came across another YouTube video, uploaded by a news outlet called ‘Khabar Seemanchal’, which reported on this incident. We contacted Hasan Jawed from ‘Khabar Seemanchal’ regarding the viral video and he confirmed that the visuals in the viral video depict the tragic incident that occurred in Kilpara village, under the jurisdiction of Rauta police station in Purnea district, Bihar.
Furthermore, he shared an X (formerly Twitter) post (archived link) made by ‘Khabar Seemanchal’ on 06 November 2024, reporting on this incident, which featured clear images of the deceased children. All this information makes it evident that the viral video is not from Bangladesh but shows the tragic incident that took place in Bihar.
To sum up, a video related to the tragic incident involving the death of a mother and her three children from Bihar is being shared with a false communal narrative linking it to Bangladesh.
