A widely circulated video depicts an elderly man protesting for justice while wearing a picture of a young man around his neck. The video is being shared with the claim that the man belongs to the minority Hindu community and is seeking justice for his missing son. It is being linked to current events in Bangladesh, suggesting that his son has gone missing during the ongoing protests (here & here). In this article, we fact-check the accuracy of these claims.
Claim: A video of a Hindu man in Bangladesh demanding justice for his missing son.
Fact: According to news reports, the individual in the video has been identified as Babul Hawaldar, a Muslim. He is protesting to demand justice for his son, who has been missing since 2013. The video is unrelated to the current events in Bangladesh and does not have a communal aspect. Hence, the claim made in the post is FALSE.
A reverse image search of the video screenshots led us to a correction tweet by ANI regarding the same viral incident. Initially, ANI reported that the video showed a Bangladeshi Hindu protesting for his missing son. However, they later deleted the tweet and clarified that the individual was not from the Hindu minority community.
Most media outlets reported on the video based on ANI’s initial tweet, which is how the video gained traction and spread with the viral claim.
A further search using the video screenshots led us to news reports featuring the same visuals. From these reports, it can be inferred that the person in the video was Babul Hawaldar, and that he was protesting demanding justice for his elder son, Mohammed Sunny Hawaldar, who had been missing since 2013.
Another news report features the man stating that he is protesting for his son, who has been missing since 2013 (here & here). Additionally, Bangladeshi journalist and fact-checker Shohanur Rahman clarified that the man in the video is not from the Hindu minority community in Bangladesh. These pieces of evidence confirm that the viral video is unrelated to the current unrest in Bangladesh and, more importantly, that the incident does not have a communal angle.
To sum up, a video of a man protesting for his missing son in Bangladesh is being circulated with a false communal claim.
