An image of a damaged and desecrated Buddha statue is being circulated, claiming to be from the recent violence in Khagrachhari, Bangladesh. However, D-Intent Data has found that this image is old and has been available since at least January 2024. While there are reports of attacks on minorities, but the circulated image is not connected to the current violence.
Sharing the image on X (Formerly Twitter) propagandist account @MrSinha_ wrote. “A Buddha statue was burnt down by radical Islamists in Bangladesh. Have you seen any of the so-called Buddhist leaders, who work overtime to prove Hindus are anti-Buddhist, speaking out against this? You won’t, for obvious reasons.”
Another propaganda account @jpsin1 has also shared the image and wrote. Along with Hindus, the Muslim mob and army in Bangladesh also launched a fierce attack on Buddhist people. This morning they set fire to the famous and centuries-old Buddhist monastery of Rangamati. All the statues of Gautam Buddha installed in this Buddhist monastery were broken. And in this Buddhist monastery more than 12 Buddhist monks were burnt alive and killed. After all, why are you people silent on the massacre of minorities of Bangladesh and the burning of their places of worship?”
Several other users, influencers and propagandists have also shared the image and made similar claims. Their posts can be seen here , @HPhobiaWatch, @k36077, @hindupost, @YearOfTheKraken, @GBHAlliance, @taslimanasreen, @ChillamChilli
The truth about the viral image, Fact Check
As soon as the posts containing the sensitive image of the damaged Buddha statue and claims came to our notice. Subsequently, we conducted research and analysis of the image and found that the image was not related to the recent violence in Bangladesh but an old image from a different incident.
To verify the claims made by the users. We performed a reverse image search on Google Lens. This led us to previous reports and social media posts containing the same image uploaded in January 2024. According to the reports, on the night of 7 January 2024, unknown miscreants set ablaze the famous Buddhist temple and monastery situated in Rangunia. Due to the fire, parts of the Buddhist monastery were damaged. Also, the temple inside the monastery was burnt. The Murti of Bhagwan Buddha is damaged completely.
However, there are multiple reports (1, 2) of attacks on religious minorities in Bangladesh. But this particular image doesn’t feature the recent violence in the country.
Therefore, it is evident from D-Intent Data’s Fact Check that the viral image of the damaged Buddha statue is not recent but an old incident from January 2024.
Intent
Social media users, influencers and propagandists are circulating old images with distorted claims to set their narrative.
Conclusion
Claim– The viral image of the damaged Buddha statue is from the recent violence against minorities in Bangladesh.
Fact– The image is not recent but an old image from January 2024.
Related Article: Fact Check: Old image of dilapidated bridge from Bangladesh falsely shared as India – D-Intent Data (dintentdata.com)
