A photo (here, here, and here) is being widely shared on social media, claiming to show Muslim Razakars with captured Hindu civilians before killing them in Telangana, India, in 1948. Through this article, let’s fact-check the claim made in the post.
Claim: Photo shows Muslim Razakars with captured Hindu civilians in 1948 in Telangana, India.
Fact: This viral photo is not related to India. It shows pro-Bangladeshi independence forces (Mukti Bahini) preparing to beat, torture, and execute men accused of being members of the pro-Pakistani Razakar paramilitary force at a political rally in Dhaka, Bangladesh, in 1971. Hence the claim made in the post is FALSE.
These viral posts claim that this photo is sourced from a book titled ‘People at Odds: India and Pakistan’, authored by Heather Lehr Wagner and published in 2002.
Following this, we reviewed the book ‘People at Odds: India and Pakistan’, and found that the caption of this photo in this book states that it depicts Pakistani General Yahya Khan’s troops cracking down on Hindus in East Pakistan (present-day Bangladesh) in 1971. This confirms that the book mentions the photo as being from 1971 in Bangladesh and does not state that it was taken in 1948 in Telangana, India.
We then conducted a Google reverse image search to find more details about this photo. This search led us to the same photo uploaded on the stock image website ‘Getty Images’. The description of the photo reads:“Guerrilla fighters of the pro-independence Mukti Bahini forces preparing to beat, torture, and execute men accused of being members of the pro-Pakistani Razakar paramilitary force, at a political rally in Dhaka, Bangladesh, two days after the Pakistani surrender at the end of the Bangladesh War of Independence, on 18th December 1971.”
According to the description, this photo shows pro-Bangladeshi independence forces (Mukti Bahini) preparing to beat, torture, and execute men accused of being members of the pro-Pakistani Razakar paramilitary force at a political rally in Dhaka, Bangladesh, in 1971, and was taken by William Lovelace of the Daily Express. William Lovelace was a photographer for the UK-based media outlet Daily Mail, who covered the 1971 Bangladesh Liberation Movement.
The description of the viral photo provided on Getty Images contradicts the one given in the book ‘People at Odds: India and Pakistan.’
Upon further searching on Getty Images, we found several more photos (here, here) related to this incident, showing pro-Mukti Bahini forces torturing men accused of being members of the pro-Pakistani Razakar paramilitary force in Dhaka, Bangladesh, in 1971. In these photos, it is mentioned that Abdul Kader Siddique, a leader of the pro-independence Mukti Bahini forces, is seen stabbing a prisoner who was allegedly a member of the pro-Pakistani Razakar paramilitary force using a bayonet. A bayonet is a blade or knife attached to the muzzle of a rifle.
We then found a video on Shutterstock and another uploaded on the YouTube channel of the Associated Press, showing Abdul Kader Siddique surrendering weapons to President Sheikh Mujibur Rahman in 1972. By comparing the individual featured in the Getty Images photos with those in the videos, it is evident that the person in the photo is Abdul Kader Siddique. From this information, we can conclude that the viral photo depicts pro-Bangladesh independence forces along with captured individuals who were allegedly members of pro-Pakistani troops in Dhaka, Bangladesh, in 1971.
During this search, we also found multiple articles (here, here, here, here, and here) about the 1971 Bangladesh Liberation War published by media outlets featuring the same viral photo. However, we also discovered that some media outlets, such as Dainik Bhaskar and Sangbad Pratidin, incorrectly linked this photo to the Razakar atrocities during the 1948 Telangana Movement.
To sum up, this viral photo shows pro-Bangladeshi forces (Mukti Bahini) punishing captured individuals alleged to be members of the pro-Pakistani forces in 1971 in Dhaka, Bangladesh.
