Fact Check: No, the viral video is not from West Bengal but from Bangladesh
A video is being widely shared on social media where people can be seen destroying a pandal. The video was shot from the window of a house where some people are crying and talking among themselves in Bengali.
By Tejal Sinha Published on 18 Oct 2021 9:15 AM IST
Hyderabad: A video is being widely shared on social media where people can be seen destroying a pandal. The video was shot from the window of a house where some people are crying and talking among themselves in Bengali.
Social media users are claiming that a Durga Puja pandal was being vandalized by Muslims in West Bengal.
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Fact Check
The claim made through the viral post is misleading.
NewsMeter performed a keyword search which led us to a tweet by a user from Bangladesh who had shared a similar video on October 15, 2021.
The same video was also retweeted from the verified Twitter account of "Bangladesh Hindu Unity Council" with a caption, "History repeats".
The team also further found a tweet by vice president and spokesperson ISKCON, director West Bengal Annamrita, Radharamn Das where he wrote "Just a few hours back today, around 500 Muslim mobs gathered outside @iskcon Temple in Naokhali and they broke Deities inside ISKCON temple and set the temple on fire. They also destroyed Durga Devi in front of the ISKCON Temple. Our devotees fought: many are critical."
Meanwhile, according to a report by The Indian Express published on October 17, 2021, that had reported on the incident read, "An ISKCON temple in Bangladesh was vandalized and a devotee killed by a mob ā this was the fifth death since Thursday ā and there appeared to be growing realization in New Delhi that a "coordinated" and "orchestrated" move was at work to stir up communal tensions across "multiple locations" there. South Block is worried over the spate of incidents that the Bangladesh authorities are unable to prevent or control despite the heavy deployment of paramilitary forces in more than half of the administrative districts in the country. The attack on the ISKCON temple in Noakhali shocked the Hindu community there, leading to protests on the streets. Sources said the possible involvement of Islamic extremist groups in Bangladesh trying to stir up trouble and cause communal conflict between the two communities is being investigated."
A report by Navbharat Times, in Bangladesh, published on October 14, 2021, stated that the fundamentalists attacked many puja pandals and idols due to which the pavilions and temples were heavily vandalized. The matter escalated so much that even Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina strongly criticized it and said that no one involved in the attack will be spared.
"Earlier on Wednesday, the council had tweeted that rumors of insults to the Quran are spreading. Due to this the worship circle of Nanua Dighi Par has been attacked. After this, it was said in a statement that we want to ask all Muslim brothers not to believe in rumors. We respect the Quran. Someone is planning to incite a riot. There is no relation between Quran and Durga Puja," read the report further.
The team lastly found a tweet by Suvendu Adhikari, a BJP MLA who tweeted about the incident and urged prime minister Narendra Modi to take up this issue with the authorities in Bangladesh.
It is therefore evident that the claim made through the viral post is misleading as a video of Durga Puja pandals and idols being attacked in Bangladesh is being shared as that from West Bengal.
