A video is going viral on social media showing a building being demolished by a group of people. Users sharing the video claim that the 136-year-old Gauri Jama Masjid, located near the airport in Kolkata, India, was demolished by the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) using bulldozers to build a Ram temple. They further claim that Muslims were crying and pleading for mercy, but their appeals were ignored.
Sharing the video, a user named All India Muslim Forum wrote a caption in English, the Hindi translation of which reads: “In Kolkata, the 136-year-old Gauri Jama Masjid near the airport was demolished by the RSS to build a Ram temple. Muslims were crying and pleading, but these saffron goons showed no mercy and demolished the mosque.”
Another user Khirad Alam shared the video with the caption: “Hindutva terror in Kolkata. The 136-year-old Gauri Jama Masjid near the airport was demolished by the RSS to build a Ram temple. Muslims were crying and pleading, but these saffron goons showed no mercy and demolished the mosque.”
Fact Check:
DFRAC’s investigation found that the claim is misleading. The viral video does not show a mosque being demolished in Kolkata. Instead, the video shows an angry mob vandalising the house of a man accused of the rape and murder of a minor in Pabna, Bangladesh. Bangladeshi fact-checker Sohanur Rahman also confirmed to DFRAC that the incident took place in Bangladesh.
To investigate the viral video, we first converted it into keyframes and conducted reverse image searches of the individual frames. We found reports related to the video published by Bangladeshi media outlets Samakal, Progati Barta, and The Daily Star Bangla. These reports stated that an angry mob attacked and vandalised the house of Mustafa Pramanik, the prime accused in the rape and murder of a 10-year-old schoolgirl in Kulunia village under Dogachi Union of Pabna Sadar Upazila.
According to The Daily Star Bangla, “An angry mob vandalised the house of Mustafa Kamal, the prime accused in the rape and murder of a 10-year-old girl in Pabna Sadar Upazila. The incident took place Friday afternoon in the Kulunia area of the upazila. However, police managed to safely evacuate the accused’s family. Pabna Sadar Police Station Officer-in-Charge (OC) Mohammad Tarikul Islam confirmed the information to The Daily Star.”
A report by Progati Barta stated that “An angry mob attacked and vandalised the house of Mohammad Mustafa Kamal, the prime accused in the rape and murder of a 10-year-old schoolgirl, in Kulunia village of Dogachi Union under Pabna Sadar Upazila. Police were deployed to bring the situation under control, but due to the anger of a large number of people, it was not immediately possible to stop the vandalism. However, police managed to safely evacuate the accused’s family members. Pabna Sadar Police Station Officer-in-Charge (OC) Mohammad Tarikul Islam said that no one was injured in the attack.”Meanwhile, Samakal reported that the three-storey house of Mustafa Pramanik, the prime accused in the rape and murder of a 10-year-old girl in Pabna, was vandalised by an “angry mob” for the second consecutive day on Saturday. The doors and windows of the house were broken, furniture was looted, and the house was left severely damaged.
We also contacted Bangladeshi fact-checker Sohanur Rahman regarding the incident. He rejected the viral claim and confirmed that the video is from Bangladesh and shows an angry mob vandalising the house of an accused in the rape and murder of a child.
Conclusion:
DFRAC’s fact-check establishes that the claim circulating on social media is misleading. The viral video does not show the demolition of a mosque in Kolkata to construct a Ram temple. Instead, it shows local people in Bangladesh vandalising the house of a man accused of the rape and murder of a minor.
| Claim Review | The RSS demolished the 136-year-old Gauri Jama Masjid, located near the airport in Kolkata, with a bulldozer to build a Ram Mandir. |
| Claim By | Social Media Users |
| Fact Check | Misleading |
Sources:
News Report of Samakal
News Report of Progati Barta
News Report of The Daily Star Bangla
Bangladeshi Fact Checker Shohanur Rahaman Statement to DFRAC
