DHAKA: A video widely circulated on social media purporting to show a Hindu woman being beaten in Bangladesh has been debunked by the fact-checking organization Rumor Scanner, which confirmed the incident actually took place in West Bengal, India. The video had falsely claimed that the woman was attacked in Bangladesh due to religious tensions involving her son protecting a Muslim woman.
According to Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha, Rumor Scanner exposed the misinformation after a thorough investigation. The fact-checking report, published on January 1, clarified that the woman in the video is from Midnapore, West Bengal, India. The incident arose from a personal conflict after the woman's son, Subhankar Bhuiyan, eloped with Firoza Khatun, a Muslim woman, leading to an assault on their home by Khatun's family.
The video was traced back to an X account named Avroneel Hindu, where the misleading narrative was initially shared. The post inaccurately described an attack on a Hindu boy's house in East Midnapore district by local Muslims due to an interfaith marriage. This erroneous account was further propagated through social media, drawing attention to an alleged religious conflict.
Further investigation by Rumor Scanner revealed a report from a YouTube channel, Banglar Katha, which detailed the familial dispute. The report identified the injured woman as Shankari Bhuiyan, whose son had a longstanding relationship with Firoza Khatun. Despite Khatun's marriage to another person, the pair continued their relationship and eventually eloped, sparking violence from Khatun's relatives.
Rumor Scanner's findings emphasize that the incident does not involve Bangladeshi nationals and refute claims of religiously motivated violence. The fact-checking body concluded that the video's portrayal as a Bangladeshi incident was entirely false, underscoring the need for vigilance against misinformation on social platforms.