Communal riots, which occurred in the Murshidabad district of West Bengal between April 8 and April 12, were triggered by protests against the Waqf (Amendment) Act. The violence resulted in at least three fatalities, including a man and his son, and led to the arrest of over 274 individuals. The violence led to the damage of 109 houses.
In the above context, a video showing men walking with sticks is being widely shared on social media with a caption claiming that it shows Muslims asking Hindus to evacuate the land and destroying their farm products.
A social media user shared the video with a caption that reads, “In West Bengal, 12 villages were evacuated, and 150 acres of Hindu farmland were destroyed, livestock, trees, vehicles, and bungalows are being set ablaze... Jihadis #Murshidabad_Zihadi_Attack.” (Translated from Hindi)
SouthCheck found that the claim is false. The viral video shows clashes between two groups within the Muslim community in Sherpur, Bangladesh.
On a Google reverse image search, we found the same video was shared by a Facebook user on November 28, 2024. The video was shared with a caption suggesting that the viral video is of attack, vandalism, looting and arson at Sherpur Darbar Sharif.
On searching with appropriate keywords, we found that the incident was reported by various Bangladeshi media organisations.
A similar video of the incident was shared on Jamuna TV on November 28, 2024, with a description that read, “There was an incident of attack, vandalism and arson at the Darbar of Doja Pir in Sherpur Sadar. Police said that Murshidpur villagers, along with teachers and students of the local Qawmi Madrasa, had demanded the closure of the Darbar Sharif, alleging immoral activities. On Tuesday, the villagers clashed with the Pir’s followers over this.”
We found that the incident was also reported by The Daily Star on November 29, 2024. The report suggested that a mob looted and torched the Murshidpur Darbar Sharif in Bangladesh’s Gopalganj district, reportedly over a land dispute. Police said at least 50 houses were vandalised, and several people were injured during the attack.
Another report by Prothem Alo suggested that on November 27, 2024, a group of 400-500 individuals, including local madrasa teachers, attacked the Murshidpur Darbar Sharif in Sherpur’s Lachmanpur area, alleging anti-Islamic activities. The assault involved vandalism, looting and arson, leading to clashes that injured at least 13 people. One of the injured, 40-year-old carpenter Hafez Uddin, later died from his injuries. Authorities detained seven individuals in connection with the incident.
We searched for Murshidpur Darbar Sharif on Google Maps and found a lake there, similar to the one visible in the video.
Therefore, we can ascertain that the viral video is from Bangladesh and has no communal links to it.
