Amid reports (here and here) of violence against Hindus and other minorities in Bangladesh, including attacks on their religious places, a disturbing video (here, here & here) showing the bodies of several women lying on the ground at a hospital is being widely shared on social media. The posts claim that the video depicts Hindu women who were raped and killed by Muslims in Bangladesh. Let’s verify the authenticity of this claim.
Warning: The story contains disturbing visuals. Reader discretion is recommended.
Claim: Visuals depicting Hindu women who were raped and killed by Muslims in Bangladesh.
Fact: The visuals show the bodies of persons at a hospital in Sikandra Rao town who died or were injured during a stampede at a religious gathering in Uttar Pradesh’s Hathras district on 02 July 2024. Hence, the claim made in the post is FALSE.
A reverse image search of the viral video led us to the original video (here & here) uploaded by multiple social media users in July 2024, describing it as the aftermath of the stampede that occurred during a religious gathering in Uttar Pradesh’s Hathras district.
The same visuals were reported (here, here & here) by several Indian media outlets. According to these reports, the visuals show the bodies of individuals at a government hospital in the town of Sikandra Rao who either died or were injured during the stampede that took place at a Satsang led by preacher Suraj Pal Singh, also known as Bhole Baba, in Pulrai (Fulari) village of Hathras district, Uttar Pradesh, on 02 July 2024. At least 120 people, mostly women and children, lost their lives in this tragedy.
A comparison of the visuals reported by the media with that of Google Street View confirms that these visuals are from a hospital in Hathras district, Uttar Pradesh, and not from Bangladesh.
According to media reports (here & here), a First Information Report (FIR) was filed on 02 July 2024, under various sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), including disobedience to an order duly promulgated by a public servant, culpable homicide not amounting to murder, attempt to commit culpable homicide, wrongful restraint, and causing the disappearance of evidence. The Special Investigation Team (SIT) probing the case charged 11 individuals, including those responsible for securing the event’s permits. However, Surajpal Singh was not named as an accused in the chargesheet.
To sum it up, an old video from Hathras stampede shared as atrocities on Hindu women in Bangladesh.
