A distressing video showing multiple bodies lying in the street has been circulated with the claim that these are Hindus killed by extremists in the ongoing violence in Bangladesh. However, the truth is that these bodies belong to 13 policemen who were killed in an attack in Sirajganj. This video is unrelated to any religious hate crime, and the incident occurred on August 4, 2024, before the attacks on minority communities in Bangladesh.
The video of policemen killed in Sirajganj circulated with misleading communal claims
Several social media users, influencers and propagandists have shared the sensitive video of multiple dead bodies lying on the ground and made false communal claims.
Sharing the video on X(Formerly Twitter), Salwan Momika wrote, Where are your eyes? 8 Hindu families with their children were completely wiped out in a village in Bangladesh by Muslims. Save Hindus from Genocide. Notably, Salwan Momika is known for his anti-Muslim stance. Later, he deleted the post.
Another user @FarazPervaiz3 has also shared the video and wrote. Graphic warning: A #Hindu village in Bangladesh was attacked by Islamists, who killed the men and took the women with them. Save Hindus from genocide committed by Muslims in Bangladesh.
Other users, influencers and propagandists have also disseminated the same video and made similar communal claims. Their posts can be seen here. RealArnab_
The truth about the viral video of policemen killed in Sirajganj, Fact Check
As soon as the posts containing the sensitive video of multiple dead bodies lying on the streets came to our notice, we conducted research and analysis of the video and found that the video is unrelated to crimes against Hindus and other minority communities.
To verify the claims made by the users, we performed a reverse image search of some key frames from the viral video on Google Lens which led us to several media reports and initial social media posts regarding the viral video.
According to the reports(1, 2), Thirteen police officers were killed in an attack on Enayetpur police station in Sirajganj during an ongoing non-cooperation movement on August 4, 2024, before the attacks on minority communities.
According to police sources, some individuals attacked the police station in the afternoon. They entered the station, committed acts of vandalism and set fires. They also beat 13 on-duty police officers to death. However, their identities remain unknown. Meanwhile, the public relations division of the police headquarters said terrorists had attacked several police stations across the country.
Hence, it is evident from D-Intent Data‘s Fact Check that the viral video doesn’t depict crimes against Hindus and other minority communities in Bangladesh but a clash between miscreants and police personnel.
Intent
Social media users, influencers and propagandists are circulating sensitive videos from Bangladesh violence. And making misleading claims to set their narrative based on religion.
Conclusion
Claim– Multiple dead bodies of Hindus were found in a village. They were killed by extremists in the ongoing violence in Bangladesh.
Fact– The video shows 13 dead bodies of police personnel. They were killed in an attack on Enayetpur police station in Sirajganj.
Related Article: Fact Check: A Hindu man who jumped into a pond in Bangladesh’s Moulvibazar district was stoned to death by extremists? – D-Intent Data (dintentdata.com)
