The incident of a Muslim farmer’s paddy crop set on fire in Bangladesh is falsely shared as that of a Hindu farmer
A video is being shared on social media (here and here) showing a man and a woman crying in a burnt rice field, surrounded by several others. The post claims that Muslims in Bangladesh set fire to a Hindu farmer’s paddy crop. Let’s verify the truth behind the video in this article.
Claim: Muslims in Bangladesh set fire to a Hindu farmer’s paddy crop.
Fact: The victim farmer is a Muslim, identified as Nasim Mia, not a Hindu. The incident occurred on the morning of 05 December 2024 in Piarpur Lakshmipur village, Sadar Upazila, Bangladesh. Nasim Mia, who had leased one and a half bighas of land, reported that someone burned his stored paddy bundles using petrol. Additionally, Bangladeshi fact-checker clarified that the arson in Kushtia’s rice field was falsely portrayed as an attack on a Hindu farmer. Hence, the claim made in the post is Misleading.
A reverse image search of the keyframes from the viral video led us to a news report (archived) by Channel 24, dated 5 December 2024, titled “Miscreants burn down one and a half bighas of ripe paddy of farmer’s land | Kushtia | Crime News | Channel 24.” At the 0.35 timestamp, the victim farmer can be heard saying, “Allah gave very good paddy,” suggesting that he is likely a Muslim and not a Hindu.
We searched using relevant keywords and found other reports (here, here, and here) (archived here, here, and, here) about the same incident. According to reports, the victim farmer is identified as “Nasim Mia.” The incident occurred on the morning of 05 December 2024 in Piarpur Lakshmipur village, Sadar Upazila, Bangladesh. Nasim Mia, who had leased one and a half bighas of land, reported that someone burned his stored paddy bundles using petrol. Kushtia Model Police Station OC Shihabur Rahman stated that the incident is under investigation, and Deputy Director of the Agricultural Extension Department, Sufi Mohammad Rafiquzzaman, expressed sympathy and promised to look into possible assistance.
Additionally, we found an X post (archived) dated 8 December 2024 by Bangladeshi fact-checker Shohanur Rahman, who stated, “The farmer is not Hindu. He is Nasim Mia, a Muslim farmer from Kushtia, Bangladesh,” and clarified that the arson in Kushtia’s rice field was falsely portrayed as an attack on a Hindu farmer.
To sum up, the incident of a Muslim farmer’s paddy crop set on fire in Bangladesh is falsely shared as that of a Hindu farmer.