Amid the quota protests in Bangladesh, reports have emerged of attacks on minorities. In this context, a social media post, accompanied by a video, alleges that an Islamic mob in Bangladesh raped a Hindu woman and live-streamed the incident on Facebook (here). This article fact-checks the claim made in the post.
Claim: Video depicting rape of Hindu woman by Islamic mob in Bangladesh.
Fact: The visuals actually show protesting students from Jahangirnagar University seeking shelter at the Vice Chancellor’s residence to protect themselves from the Chhatra League members. The person who live-streamed the event confirmed this to the media. Hence, the claim made in the post is FALSE.
The deadly protests that began in July 2024 as an anti-quota movement in Bangladesh have evolved into a major anti-government uprising. The situation escalated when Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina resigned and fled the country. Reports indicate that mobs have attacked the homes and businesses of minorities, particularly Hindus, looting their valuables (here).
However, the video currently going viral does not show any molestation incident. A reverse image search of the video’s screenshots traced it back to a Facebook livestream by Syeda Ananya Faria, a student at Jahangirnagar University. The video was originally streamed on 16 July 2024.
There are no signs of molestation in the complete video. Instead, it shows what appears to be a group of people, possibly students, taking shelter to avoid an attack.
Further examination of her Facebook timeline uncovered another post from the same day where Faria shared videos originally posted by another student from Jahangirnagar University. The translated caption reads, ‘We are without shelter. While protesting in front of the Vice-Chancellor’s residence, we received evidence that hundreds of armed goons were on their way to attack us in pickup trucks. We have broken through the gate and are staying at the Vice-Chancellor’s residence for safety.’ The structures in these videos match those in the previously mentioned live stream, suggesting the viral video might be connected to this situation.’
Taking a cue, a search using relevant keywords led to multiple news reports of Chhatra League members attacking Jahangirnagar University protesters at the Vice-Chancellor’s residence (here, here & here). The building structures in these reports match those in the live streams mentioned earlier, confirming that the viral video shows a confrontation between protesting students and Chhatra League members, not a sexual assault.
Additionally, Syeda Ananya Faria told India Today that the viral video shows an assault on protesting students by the Chhatra League and not any sexual attack.
To sum up, the video of the attack on protesting students in Bangladesh is being falsely portrayed as the molestation of Hindu women.
