A video going viral on social media (here and here) claims to show a rally held by Bangladeshi Muslims in Assam calling for a separate country. Let’s verify the truth behind the video.
Claim: Video shows a rally held by Bangladeshi Muslims in Assam calling for a separate country.
Fact: The video dates back to July 2017, showing some Muslims protesting against the Assam government’s classification of them as illegal immigrants or ‘D’ voters (doubtful voters) in Goalpara, Assam. It is not of a rally by Bangladeshi Muslims calling for a separate country. Hence, the claim made in the post is FALSE.
A reverse image search of the screenshots from this video led us to news reports (here, here, and here) from July 2017 featuring similar viral images. According to the reports, some Muslims in Goalpara, Assam, protested against being classified as illegal immigrants or ‘D’ (doubtful) voters by the Assam government. During these protests, the police opened fire to control the situation, resulting in the death of a man named Yakub Ali.
Nowhere in the reports is it mentioned that the protesters were demanding independence from India. Instead, the reports (here, here, and here) indicate that the protests were against being labelled as illegal immigrants or ‘D’ (doubtful) voters.
In the context of Assam’s National Register of Citizens (NRC), individuals without sufficient proof of citizenship are classified by the government as ‘D’ (Doubtful) Voters. Those under this category are ineligible to vote or contest in elections. Inclusion in the NRC for ‘D’ Voters requires full approval from the Foreigners Tribunal. A detailed article about ‘D’ Voters is available on FACTLY here.
To sum up, an old 2017 video of ‘D-Voter’ protesters in Assam is falsely shared as ‘Bangladeshi Muslims’ demanding a separate country.
