Illegal immigrants leaving Bengal? No, viral ferry ghat video is from Bangladesh

by Ankita Mahalanobish

A video of an overcrowded ferry ghat is being widely shared on social media, claiming that it shows illegal Bangladeshi immigrants and Rohingyas leaving West Bengal after the announcement of the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in the state by the Election Commission.  

X account Tathvam-asi (@ssaratht) shared the purported video alleging that illegal immigrants were returning to Bangladesh in the wake of the SIR announcement in West Bengal. (Archive)

The post has garnered approximately 100,000 views. 

Another X user, Ritika (@Im_Ritikaa), posted the same clip accompanied by a caption claiming if the SIR was implemented strictly in West Bengal, “half of its population will be emptied”. (Archive)

The post amassed around 475,500 views.

X user Ocean Jain (@ocjain4), who amplifies communal misinformation on a regular basis, has also shared the same video, claiming that the footage showed the Swarupnagar border area in Bashirhat, where illegal Bangladeshi immigrants were fleeing Bengal for their own country. (Archive)

The post accumulated around 28,000 views. 

Aditya Krishna Giri, who identifies himself as the president of a Hindutva outfit, shared the video on Facebook, alleging that the “terror of SIR” had resulted in Bangladeshi’s fleeing Bengal. 

Several other social media users, including the Right-wing propaganda account Kreatly Media, amplified similar claims while sharing the same video.  

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

 

Fact Check

A reverse image search on a few keyframes led us to an article by Independent Television, a Bangladeshi media outlet, that carried a photograph which showed a scene similar to the viral video.

The place is identified as the banks of the Mongla river. The river flows through Mongla Upazila of Bagerhat District in the Division of Khulna, Bangladesh. 

The article highlighted concerns about commuters’ safety at the Mongla river ferry ghat, noting that accidents were frequent due to the risky wooden structure, which was used as a temporary ghat as it was the only available alternative, after the original ferry ghat was destroyed. According to the outlet, nearly two lakh passengers use the fragile wooden structure to board boats to cross the river. 

Taking a cue from this, we performed a keyword search that led us to a news bulletin uploaded on the YouTube channel of Independent Television. The caption of the video, when translated into English, reads, “Demand for construction of a sustainable ghat at Mongla River crossing”. 

We found several similarities between the visuals in this bulletin and the viral video. The ghat’s structure is similar. The trees and the structures on the other bank are similar as well.

The comparison can be seen below. 

In both the videos, a green poster can be seen with a figure of a man with one arm raised.

We also found a vlog by Sobuj the Bhaijaan, where he documents a ferry journey from Mongla river ghat. The background seen in his vlog aligns with the surroundings seen in the viral footage. See the comparison below.

To sum up, the viral video of a heavily crowded ferry ghat is of the Mongla River in Khulna division, Bangladesh. The claims that it shows illegal immigrants fleeing West Bengal following the SIR announcement are false. 

Donate to Alt News!
Independent journalism that speaks truth to power and is free of corporate and political control is possible only when people start contributing towards the same. Please consider donating towards this endeavour to fight fake news and misinformation.

Donate Now