On social media, a video of a violent mob vandalizing a Hindu temple has gone viral. While sharing the video users claim that “The plight of Bangladesh Hindu temples. Where is International Human Rights and the Indian Government? All Rohingyas and Bangladeshi infiltrators should be thrown out of India and all trade and cricket matches should be stopped. Save Bangladeshi Hindus.”
Moreover, several users shared this video and made similar claims. The link can be seen here and here
Fact Check
During the investigation, DFRAC found that the claim is false. We found a similar video on the YouTube channel of ‘CRUX’ uploaded on August 5, 2021 with the description “A frenzied mob attacked a Hindu temple in Pakistan’s Punjab Province on August 4. The mob desecrated the idols at the Ganesh temple and burned down parts of it. They also smashed the windows and doors of the temple with sticks and stones.”
Furthermore, we found a media report from ‘Times of India’ published on August 5, 2021 stated “According to sources, a mob of over two dozen people vandalized the Sidhi Vinayak temple and broke idols and temple structure. Hindu National Assembly member Ramesh Kumar Vankwani informed that situation in the city was tense following the desecration of the Hindu temple.”
Moreover, we also found a video on the official Facebook page of ‘IndiaToday’ uploaded on August 5, 2021 with the caption “Mob in #Pakistan attacks Ganesha Temple.”
Conclusion
It is evident from the DFRAC’s fact check that the viral video is from Pakistan and dates back to 2021, not from Bangladesh. Therefore, the claim of social media users is misleading.
