Fact Check: Former student, not Hindu principal tied to tree at Bangladesh school
The claim that Muslim students tied Principal Gitanjali Barua to a tree is misleading; it was a former student, not the principal.
By Sibahathulla Sakib Published on 23 Aug 2024 4:17 PM GMT
Claim: Students of Azimpur Girls School and College forced Principal Gitanjali Barua to resign. After her refusal, Muslim students tied her to a tree for hours.
Fact: The claim is misleading. The individual tied to the tree was not Principal Gitanjali Barua but an outsider. The students were protesting against two teachers, including the principal, demanding their resignation, which led to the incident.
Hyderabad: A post circulating on social media claims that Muslim students at Azimpur Government Girls' School and College in Dhaka, Bangladesh, tied their principal, Gitanjali Barua, to a tree for hours after she refused to resign. The photo shared with the post shows a group of girls standing around a woman tied to a tree.
An x user has shared the photo with the caption āNews coming in from #Bangladesh For last few days, Islamists and Muslim students are forcing Hindu teachers to resign. A shocking case has come in from #Dhaka. She is Gitanjali Barua. She was the principal of Ajimpur Government Girls' School and College. Muslim students put pressure on her to resign. She didn't agree. So, Muslim students kept her tied to a tree in school for hours. The incident happened yesterday, on 20/08/2024. This is #Pogrom going on in #Bangladesh. #SaveBangladeshiHindusā (Archive)
Similar posts can be seen here and here. (Archive 1, Archive 2)
The New Indian Express also published the story claiming that Principal Barua was tied to a tree by her students.
Fact Check:
NewsMeter found that the claim is misleading. The woman seen in the photograph was a former student of the school, not Principal Gitanjali Barua.
A keyword search confirmed that the principal's name is indeed Gitanjali Barua, but she was not the person tied to the tree.
A reverse image search of the viral photograph led us to a report by Ajker Patrika published on August 19, 2024, titled "Students threatened, former student tied to a tree in Azimpur" (translated from Bangla).
The article included a video report on the same incident by Ajker Patrika.
In the video, students from Azimpur Girls School and College demanded the resignation of two teachers, including the principal. When the teachers brought in former students to confront the protesters, the students tied one of the former students to a tree.
We found another video report by ATN News titled "Azimpur Govt. Girls School & College | Quota Andolon | ATN News," featuring students holding placards during the protest. One placard reads, "There is no place for corruption anymore" (translated from Bangla).
We also found another video related to the incident on the ATN News YouTube channel posted on August 18, 2024, titled āChhatra League Leaders Attack on Students.ā
According to the report, some individuals claiming to be former students attempted to disrupt the protest. In response, the students tied one of these individuals to a tree. Eyewitnesses, including students and parents, confirmed in the video that the person tied up was an outsider.
Additionally, a Facebook post from Azimpur Government Girls School & College clarified that false rumors were being spread about the incident. The post states:,āSome people are spreading false rumors in the name of the school. Additionally, some are perpetuating the Hindu-Muslim conflict with malicious intent. The person tied to the tree is not Gitanjali Barua, nor is she a teacher at the school. She identifies herself as an alumna of the school (though there is no proof of this). In an excited state, the students tied her up. (We do not support any student being tied to a tree.) The incident was unintentional. I urge everyone not to spread rumors. Every teacher is equal to us, and we do not wish to see them disrespected.ā
A report by Dismislab published on August 21, 2024, further confirms that Principal Gitanjali Barua voluntarily resigned on August 18, 2024, in response to the students' demands. She also stated that no incident of her being tied to a tree ever occurred.
Therefore, the claim that Muslim students at Azimpur Girls School and College tied Hindu Principal Gitanjali Barua to a tree is misleading. The individual in the video was not the principal but an outsider involved in an altercation with the protesting students.The incident has been falsely reported and exaggerated on social media.
