Fact Check: Video of a girl tied up in the street is part of a street play in Bangladesh
Protests in Bangladesh started over a controversial government job quota system and later magnified into nationwide unrest within a few days. The protests began in early July as peaceful demands from University students to abolish quotas in civil service jobs.
Student protest
Protests in Bangladesh started over a controversial government job quota system and later magnified into nationwide unrest within a few days. The protests began in early July as peaceful demands from University students to abolish quotas in civil service jobs. Although the requests were largely met, the protests soon transformed into an anti-government movement following PM Sheikh Hasina’s ‘Razakar’ comments.
As the clashes expanded, over 300 people were killed in the unrest. The internet was cut off in parts of the country and a nationwide curfew was imposed by the Shiekh Hasina government. Protestors climbed on the top of the large statue of former Prime Minister Sheikh Mujibur Rahman and destroyed it. They barged into the official residence of the Prime Minister and wreaked chaos. Sheikh Hasina fled from the country, after resigning from the post. Military officials took over the power after her resignation.
Several social media users are sharing various posts about the riots in the area attributing it to violence against the Hindu minority in the country. A video showing a girl sitting on the street with hands and legs tied up and also mouth muzzled up is in circulation on social media, with the claim that the video shows the plight of the Hindu women in Bangladesh, following the violence unleashed by the students. Some users shared the video with English captions like “World...Are you watching the Heart - Heart-wrenching situation of Hindu Women in Bangladesh? These radical Islamists are targeting Hindu women. Mr Prime Minister, Please act @narendramodi”
Some users shared the video with Hindi caption ” बांग्लादेश का यह विडियो दे
When translated, it reads: After watching this video, if you are still thinking that “Modi” is a #Dictator, then you should remove him from power. Else, your daughters and sisters would also face a similar situation. And find out your blood group from your mother”
Fact Check:
The claim is False. The video does not show the atrocities of the Bangladeshi protestors. It shows a street play by Jagannath University students as part of a protest.
When we searched the keyframes extracted from the video, we found that the video was first posted by a Facebook page named JnU Short Stories on July 26, 2024.
According to the text posted along with the video: “The girl is going through trauma today because of your rumours. The girl is a regular student of Jagannath University in the academic year 2021-22. This video is the scene of the path play as a protest against Avantika's suicide a few days ago! But some people shared the video on Facebook, presenting the girl as a leader of the Chhatra League with references to the current agitation period, which went viral instantly. The girl is going through the trauma of seeing this. Today, if a girl commits suicide like Avantika, who will take her responsibility? Everyone stand by the girl, wherever you see this video, report it with a protest in the comments. Please share this post as much as possible to stop this rumor”
This post was published by JnU when the video was falsely shared stating that the girl was a Chhatra League leader.
The claim was also debunked by dintentdata stating that the video is old and does not show the plight of Hindu women in Bangladesh.
Therefore, the viral video is an old one showing a girl student from Jagannath University performing a street play as part of a protest after the suicide of another student named Abantika. The claim that she is a Hindu woman in Bangladesh is False.