CCTV footage from a toll plaza is being shared widely on social media. The footage depicts a group of individuals, some of whom are wearing Islamic caps, riding in a pickup truck. In the video, a few individuals are seen clashing with toll plaza employees and removing barricades to clear the path for their vehicle. One such post reads, “Just as the Muslims have opened the toll today, tomorrow the gate of your house will be opened in the same way. There is still time, treat these Jihadis along with the Congress and Indy parties that nurture them.” 

X user Manoj Srivastava shared the video, reiterating the claims that Muslims were involved in vandalism at the toll plaza. (Archived link)

Another X user with the handle Mr. Nationalist also shared the footage, adding a caption that reads, “We want to save the future of Hindus and our country.” (Archived link)

The X handle @kreatelymedia, which regularly shares misleading and communal propaganda, also amplified the video. Their caption, translated to English, said “Will Toll Tax be taken from the scared and persecuted peace ambassadors of the country now?” (Archived link). 

Alt News found that the viral video was originally shared as early as in September 2024 by multiple X handles, including @kreatelymedia@JIX5A, Kashmiri Hindu and many others. (Archived link 1, 2, 3)

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

 

Fact Check

We performed a reverse image search using a key frame from the viral footage. The results led to a report published by the Dhaka Tribune on September 18, 2024. The report used a screenshot from the viral video and described the incident as having occurred at the Kuril Toll Plaza on the Dhaka Elevated Expressway in Bangladesh. According to the report, miscreants parked a pickup truck in the middle of the crossing and broke the barricades at the toll plaza.

The Dhaka Tribune report included a statement from AHM Akhtar, the project director of the elevated expressway. Akhtar clarified that vehicles like pickup trucks, motorcycles, CNGs, and rickshaws were not permitted on the expressway. On the day of the incident, there were approximately 30-40 individuals in the pickup truck. The passengers were unwilling to comply with the rules.

Hasib Hasan Khan, an official from the First Dhaka Elevated Expressway (FDEE) Company Limited, while speaking to Bangladeshi news outlet BDnews24.com, explained that open vehicles carrying passengers, such as the pickup truck in question are strictly prohibited from entering the expressway for safety reasons. He noted that the ticket collector initially flagged the truck after observing it via CCTV and sought clarification from the company’s MIS system about whether the vehicle should be allowed to proceed. It was during this time that some of the truck’s passengers got out, wanting to know why their vehicle was being denied access despite paying the toll.

The incident, according to Khan, stemmed from a misunderstanding. He clarified that the individuals in the pickup truck were indeed trying to pay the toll but became confrontational when they thought their vehicle would not be allowed to pass.

Another Bangladeshi news outlet named Somoy TV reported on the same incident on September 18, 2024. This confirmed that the altercation took place at the Kuril Toll Plaza on the Dhaka Elevated Expressway.

To sum up, the incident of a clashe between toll employees and people in a pickup truck and the removal of barricades at Kuril Toll Plaza in Dhaka, Bangladesh in September 2024 is being shared with false claims that it is from India.

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