Fact Check: Dalit Hindu child lynched by mob in West Bengal? No, video shows attack on rape accused youth in Dhaka

(Disclaimer: The video shows graphic images of mob lynching, which may be disturbing to some viewers. We are not providing any direct links in the report)

Hyderabad: A video of a brutal mob assault is going viral on social media with the claim that it shows the attack on a 10-year-old Dalit Hindu child in West Bengal.

Protests against the Waqf Amendment Act are erupting across the country and have intensified in West Bengal. In this context, the viral video was shared with the claim that it shows a mob of ‘traitors/anti-nationals’ assaulting and killing a Dalit Hindu child in the State.

The video was shared on Facebook with the caption, “Traitors arbitrarily beat and murdered a 10-year-old Dalit Hindu child in West Bengal.” (Translated from Bengali)

Fact Check

NewsMeter found that the claim is false. The video shows a mob assaulting a rape accused youth in Dhaka, Bangladesh.

Using keyword searches, we did not find any news reports or credible social media posts regarding any assault on a Dalit boy as per the visuals from the viral video.

Reverse image search of the video’s keyframes led us to a Somoy TV report published on March 19, 2025. A screenshot from the viral video is used in the report. The headline reads, ‘Police car broken into, rape accused kidnapped by mob, mob lynching’. (Translated from Bengali)

A comparison of screenshots from the viral video and the report can be found below.

According to the report, on March 18, 2025, a teenager accused of raping a 5-year-old was arrested by the police from Khilkhet area of Dhaka, Bangladesh. As the accused youth was being transported to the police station, the police vehicle was targeted by an angry mob. The accused youth was snatched and beaten up.

Using keyword searches, we found a YouTube video posted by Jamuna TV on March 19, 2025. The video was posted with the title, ‘Child rape accused thrashed by mob; What happened in Khilkhet? | Khilkhet Rape’ (Translated from Bengali)

The description of the video stated that a mob attacked a teenager, accused of raping a 5 year old, in Khilkhet.

The Daily Star report on the incident was published on March 19, 2025, with the title, ‘Mob assaults accused rapist in Khilkhet; cops attacked.’ The report stated that the attack on the teenager took place at Khilkhet Bazar around 11 pm on March 18, 2025.

The Daily Star further wrote, “Khilkhet police said that police members went to the spot upon receiving information that locals were beating a teenager over rape allegations. When the teenage perpetrator was taken inside a police van, more than 100 people attacked and vandalised the police vehicle.”

The Dhaka Tribune, Business Standard, Protomolo and Potheprantore have also published reports on the mob lynching of the rape accused youth in Khilkhet.

The video shows a mob assaulting a rape accused youth in Khilkhet area of Dhaka, Bangladesh on March 18, 2025. This does not show an attack on a Dalit Hindu child in West Bengal.

Therefore, NewsMeter has found that the viral claim is false.