Attacks on minorities: BBC, dismislab debunk fake news

While it is undeniable that the aftermath of the ouster of the Awami League government was marked by violence against the Hindus, fake news is also being spread with abandon in social media in India.
This was found by BBC Verify, the fact-checking unit of the British broadcaster.
BBC Verify found that a photo of the arson attack on the house of cricketer Mashrafe Bin Mortaza is being shared as that of cricketer Liton Das’s house. Mortaza was an Awami League lawmaker.
This piece of fake news was being spread from India by ultra-right wing influencers, found BBC Verify.
A report published by BBC said that a social media intelligence or “social listening” platform, also mined X, formerly Twitter, for trending hashtags pertaining to violence on minorities in Bangladesh and found that the most viral posts were generated from India.
A video of Chattogram’s Nobogroho Temple in Laldighi Par allegedly being set on fire was making the rounds on social media.
BBC Verify inspected the footage and found that the temple was not the target, but rather an Awami League office situated right behind the temple was attacked.
A Bangladeshi fact-checking organisation called dismislab also found the truth to this.
Dismislab said that an X account called Daily Latest Updates first shared that video along with the hashtags “#AllEyesOnBangladeshiHindus” and #SaveBangladeshiHindus”. The account is run from India, said dismislab.
They found that the video was even run on an Indian channel called RepublicTV.
Similarly, Factwatch, the fact-checking wing of University of Liberal Arts Bangladesh, found that an old video of a shop on fire was being shared as evidence of arson attack on Hindu establishments.
“The post says that the video shows that Hindu shops are being set on fire in Lakshmipur’s Maju Chowdhury’s Haat. Whereas this is an old video from July 11, 2024, of when the market caught on fire,” said Factwatch.
Dismislab debunked the same video and found that it was primarily posted by an Indian X account, along with the hashtag #AllEyesOnBangladeshiHindus.
The video was also carried by Sudarshan News, an Indian news channel.
Dismislab also found that a fake photo is being shared as evidence of a Hindu woman getting raped in Bangladesh. The photo stems from an incident of sexual assault and trafficking in Bangalore in India from 2021.
However, the photo is primarily being carried by an X account from India.
Bangladesh Hindu-Bouddha-Christian Oikya Parishad and Puja Udjapan Parishad recorded 205 incidents of violence against minorities in 52 districts.