A video has been circulating on social media, purporting to show a crowd vandalizing huts and targeting people living there. The accompanying claim suggests that the individuals were illegal Bangladeshi nationals who were caught celebrating the genocide of Hindus during the ongoing violence in Bangladesh and were subsequently targeted by local Hindu organizations in Uttar Pradesh. However, according to the police these are misleading claims, the truth is entirely different. The people living in the huts were, in fact, Indian nationals, with no connection to illegal Bangladeshi immigrants.
The video disseminated with misleading claims
Several social media users, influencers and propagandists have circulated the video of people vandalizing slums and thrashing residents.
Sharing the video, serial fake news peddler and propagandist account @MrSinha_ on X (Formerly Twitter), wrote. Some illegal Bangladeshis living in Ghaziabad had installed Bangladeshi flag in their temporary tents. As per info they were even celebrating the attack on Hindus in Bangladesh. Hindu Raksha Dal members got angry seeing this and destroyed their tent. (just tent, didn’t hurt anyone). Obviously it will attract more outrage than Hindu genocide in Bangladesh.
Another fake news peddler and propagandist account @RealBababanaras has also shared the video and said. Illegal Bangladeshis are living in Ghaziabad with Bangladeshi flag installed on tents. These Malechhs were celebrating attacks on Hindus in Bangladesh by Islamists. Hindu Raksha Dal destroyed their tents without hurting them. Despite 57 Muslim countries, Malechhs are living in a Hindu-majority country and celebrating Hindu genocide.
Several other users, influencers and propagandists have also disseminated the video and made similar claims. Their posts can be seen here @ajaychauhan41, @SonOfBharat7, @ajeetbharti.
The truth behind the misleading claims, Fact Check
As soon as the posts containing the video and claims came to our notice, we conducted research and analysis of the incident and found that the claims being circulated on social media were not true.
To verify the claims made by the users, we conducted research using relevant keyword searches on Google, which led us to several media reports regarding the incident.
According to the media reports, “On August 9 at around 7:30 pm, Hindu Raksha Dal chief Pinky Chaudhary — along with his 15-20 supporters — thrashed people who were living in jhuggies in a freehold land area after accusing them of being Bangladeshi immigrants,” said Abhishek Shrivastava, Assistant Commissioner of Police, Kavinagar (Ghaziabad).
“They also destroyed their jhuggies. Some residents have sustained injuries,” said the ACP, adding, “In our initial investigation, we found that none of those living in the area were from Bangladesh,” he said. There are around 15 slums in the area where the incident happened. Most slum-dwellers are daily wagers and ragpickers. A case has been registered under the relevant section of Bhartiya Nyaya Sanhita(BNS) and further action is being taken.
Hence, it is evident from D-Intent Data’s Fact Check that the people living there were not illegal Bangladeshi but Indian nationals. Propagandists circulated the video with misleading claims to justify the criminal activities.
Intent
Social media users, influencers and propagandists are circulating sensitive videos with misleading claims to set their narrative to create communal disharmony in the state.
Conclusion
Claim – Illegal Bangladeshi who were caught celebrating the genocide of Hindus in Bangladesh were targeted and their huts were destroyed by local Hindu organizations in Ghaziabad.
Fact– The people living there were not illegal Bangladeshi but Indian nationals. And no verified sources are suggesting that they were celebrating the genocide of Hindus in Bangladesh.
Related Article: Fact Check: Fact Check: Old video of people trying to cross barbed wires and fences at India-Bangladesh border shared with misleading claims – D-Intent Data (dintentdata.com)
