Fact-Check: Video from Bangladesh falsely linked to Malda, West Bengal communal unrest. Here are the facts

Violent Clashes have erupted between two communities in Malda, West Bengal, leading to the arrest of 34 individuals and the suspension of Internet services. In its aftermath, a video has emerged on the social media platform X(formerly Twitter) showing an arson scene where people are involved in the destruction amid the burnt vehicles. Users are sharing this video and claiming that this video depicts an excerpt of communal unrest in Malda, west bengal.

Sharing this video on X, a user named Ranjan Kumar Jha wrote: “It is being said that the video is from Malda in Bengal where fundamentalists are attacking Hindus. They are targeting their vehicles and setting them on fire” (Translated from Hindi)

In addition, several users shared this video and made a similar claim on X. The preview link can be seen here and here

Fact-Check

The DFRAC team investigated this video and found that it has been misrepresented on X.

We converted the video into some keyframes and reverse-searched them using Google Lens, which led us to a YouTube video uploaded by Bangladeshi media outlet Prothom Alo on 27 November 2023. At the timestamp of 0:37 seconds, the same visuals can be seen as shown in the above viral video. Moreover, the video’s caption read: “Torchlight procession and vehicle vandalism in support of the blockade in Sylhet”. (Translated from Bengali).

Investigating further, we also came across some reports from Bangladeshi media outlets published in the year 2023 covering the news behind this video. The reports stated that BNP leaders and activists held a torchlight procession in Sylhet in support of the blockade. Several vehicles were vandalized and set on fire during the march. The incident took place in the Subid Bazar area of ​​the city around 7 pm on Sunday. The incident spread panic in the area.

Lastly, we found a tweet on the X handle of West Bengal police clarifying that this video captures events of November 2023 in the Sylhet region of Bangladesh and has no connection whatsoever with yesterday’s incident in Malda.

Conclusion

It is clear from DFRAC’s fact-check that a 2023 video from Bangladesh has been misleadingly associated with the recent clashes in Malda, West Bengal. Hence, the claim made by social media users is misleading.

Analysis: Misleading