Visuals of a crowd armed with sticks trying to stop army vehicles from moving forward have gone viral on social media. Users are claiming that the incident is from West Bengal.
Several Facebook users have shared the video with the text, “West Bengal. It is difficult for the government, police and the army to save their lives from them. An injured jawan was stopped en route to the hospital. This is going to happen in your city or your lane very soon. (*पश्चिम बंगाल* सरकार, पुलिस, फौज सबको इनसे जान बचानी मुश्किल है। *एक घायल जवान को अस्पताल ले जाने के लिऐ रोक दिया गया।* यह दृश्य आप के अपने शहर या गली में जल्दी आनेवाला है.)”
The clip was also viral last month when West Bengal elections were underway. Facebook user Avinash Chandak wrote, “God save this world’s largest democracy. Another scene from West Bengal. Is this democracy?” (Archive link)
😡😡😡😡 God save this biggest democracy in d world… 😩😩😩
Another scene from West Bengal….
Is it democracy..🤔🤔Posted by Avinash Chandak on Wednesday, April 7, 2021
Another Facebook user posted the video with the same claim. (Archive link)
😡😡😡😡 God save this biggest democracy in d world…😩😩😩
Another scene from West Bengal….👇👇
Is it democracy..🤔🤔
दोस्तों, क्या यह दृश्य आप आप के शहर या गली में देखना चाहते हो😔Posted by सम्पत मनमौजी on Wednesday, April 7, 2021
The visuals were being shared as West Bengal on both Facebook and Twitter.
😡😡😡😡 God save this biggest democracy in d world…😩😩😩
Another scene from West Bengal….👇👇
Is it democracy..🤔🤔
दोस्तों, क्या यह दृश्य आप आप के शहर या गली में देखना चाहते हो😔 pic.twitter.com/szPi7VNEL6— भारत सिर्फ एक ही हिंदुराष्ट्र है (@dipinbhatt) April 8, 2021
We received requests to fact-check the clip on the official Alt News mobile application.
Video from Bangladesh
The people in the video are speaking Bengali of Bangladeshi dialect. A closer look also reveals the Bangladesh Army logo on a vehicle.
Furthermore, the uniform sported by the army personnel also carries the Bangladeshi army logo and AMC is written on the uniform sleeves. AMC is short for Armed Forces Medical College (Bangladesh).
The crowd can be heard chanting the slogan, “আমার ভাই শহীদ কেন খুনি হাসিনা জবাব দিন” which translates to, “Why were our brothers martyred? Murderer Hasina must answer”. This led us to several videos where the same slogan was raised.
আমার ভাই শহীদ কেন প্রশাসন জবাব চাই।,
আমার ভাইয়ের রক্ত বৃথা যেতে দিবনা।
নোয়াখালী জেলা তে হেফাজতে ইসলাম বাংলাদেশ এবং ইসলামী আন্দোলন বাংলাদেশ যৌথভাবে বিক্ষোভ মিছিল এবং সমাবেশ করেন। আগামী কাল সারাদেশে হরতাল মাঠে থাকবে হেফাজতে ইসলাম বাংলাদেশ ইসলামী আন্দোলন বাংলাদেশের ও তৌহিদী জনতাPosted by Md Nasiruddin Bhuiya on Saturday, March 27, 2021
Boomlive had earlier fact-checked the clip and found that it was uploaded by Facebook user ‘H.M. Al Amin’ on March 28. He wrote that the video was shot at Hathazari Road in Bangladesh.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi arrived in Dhaka on March 26 for a two-day tour of Bangladesh. Demonstrations were held around the country in protest of his visit. The clip in question shows one such protest. BBC reported that Bangladeshi Islamists, madrasa students, and left-wing supporters staged protests against Modi’s anti-Muslim policies. Twelve people died in these demonstrations.
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1juOSpu_bto]
According to the Dhaka Tribune, four people were killed during a demonstration in Hathazari, Bangladesh. Reuters also released a video story covering the incident.
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HRTPzNIVqqM]
Footage from a protest against Prime Minister Modi’s Bangladesh visit was falsely shared on social media as West Bengal.
