Video of people offering namaz in knee-deep water is from Bangladesh

Footage of a large crowd of people offering namaz in knee-deep water is circulating widely on social media against the backdrop of Eid.

Now Namaz in rivers ,what the hell is going on pic.twitter.com/b4orD3hPGf

— Dr.SushmaShallakaul🇮🇳 (@shallakaul) May 4, 2022

The same video was shared last year when the accompanying Hindi caption said, “This is a plan to capture a secluded place in the river Ganges by offering prayers there. According to their plan, a temporary encampment should be built on the banks of the river, which will be converted into permanent accommodation. Because the next war of the world will be for water. And the experiment to convert Mother Ganges to Abe Zamzam has begun!”

#उत्तराखंड_मांगे_भू_कानून#जमीन_जिहाद
यह मुस्लिमों की एक योजना है कि एकान्त स्थान पर गंगा नदी में अज़ान लगा कर कब्जा किया जये।

इनकी योजना के अनुसार गंगा नदी के किनारे किनारे पर अस्थाई निवास बनाये जाय बाद में यह स्थाई निवास में परिवर्तन कर दिया जायेगा।

क्यों कि विश्व की अगली👇 pic.twitter.com/4ANIH8zduk

— 🇮🇳कल्याणी_पुष्पा🇮🇳 (@P_Katyayan) July 28, 2021

यह मुस्लिमों की एक योजना है, की एकांत स्थान पर गंगा नदी में, अजान लगाकर कब्जा कर लिया जाए, इनकी योजना के अनुसार गंगा नदी के किनारे किनारे पर अस्थाई निवास बनाया जाए, बाद में यह स्थाई निवास में परिवर्तन कर दिया जाएगा, क्योंकि विश्व की अगली लड़ाई पानी के लिए होनी है। pic.twitter.com/CaypnUoZUa

— 🇮🇳 शेषधर तिवारी 🇮🇳 (@sdtiwari) July 28, 2021

Facebook user Sanjay Singh shared the visuals with the same caption.

Facebook page ‘I Love MODI JI’ promoted the clip as well.

The video was viral on Facebook and Twitter.

The same video was shared on YouTube as Florida, India and Maharashtra.

Fact-check

Alt News performed a keyword search, which led us to a Dhaka Tribune article dated May 25, 2020. The accompanying image is a still from the viral video. The outlet states that there was a flood in the Koira subdistrict of Khulna, Bangladesh due to the Amphan cyclone. Because of this, locals offered prayers in knee-deep water on the occasion of Eid-ul-Fitr. The storm, which hit at a speed of 180 kmph, caused a lot of devastation. Mohammad Humayun Kabir, chairman of the Koira Sadar Upazila Parishad, revealed that close to 3,000 people had offered prayers at three different places in the city during flooding.

Below is a side-by-side comparison of a screengrab from the viral video and the image carried by the Dhaka Tribune.

Bangladeshi newspapers like the Daily Sun and Bangla Mirror also reported about residents offering prayers in water during flooding in Koira.

Therefore, a video of a crowd of people offering Eid prayers in knee-deep water in Bangladesh amid the 2020 floods was shared on social media as India and Florida. While sharing the visuals, users falsely claimed that Muslims were offering prayers in the River Ganges, considered holy by Hindus.