Fact Check: Hindu woman raped, killed in Bangladesh? No, video is from West Bengal
A video of a dead body has gone viral as an attack on a Hindu woman who was raped and killed in Bangladesh in communal violence.
By Sibahathulla Sakib Published on 28 Jan 2025 6:27 PM IST
Claim: The video shows a Hindu woman raped and killed in Bangladesh by Muslims.
Fact: The claim is false. The video is from Malda, West Bengal, from February 2024.
(Content Warning: The article contains disturbing visuals, which some readers may find distressing; discretion is advised. Due to its sensitive nature and to avoid further dissemination of potentially harmful content, we have chosen not to include the link to the post in this story.)
Hyderabad: Recent reports of attacks on minorities in Bangladesh have fuelled concerns about the safety of the Hindu community. Reports have documented violence and vandalism targeting Hindus, creating a sense of fear and insecurity among the minority community in Bangladesh.
Amid these tensions, a video has gone viral on social media, purportedly showing the body of a Hindu woman in a field. She was raped and killed by Muslims in Bangladesh, said those sharing the video.
An X user shared the video with the caption: āHindu women gang-raped and killed in Bangladesh. If the world doesnāt open its eyes, Hindus will be wiped out in Bangladesh, especially women victimised by jihadists.ā (Archive)
Archived versions of similar post can be seen here.
Fact Check
NewsMeter found that the claim is false. The video is old and the crime happened in Malda, West Bengal, India.
A reverse image search of the videoās keyframes led us to a Facebook video report by Newsbazar24.com, dated February 24, 2024.
The report, featuring the same viral footage, stated that the incident took place in Malda, which is a district in West Bengal that shares a border with Bangladesh.
The caption read, āThe body of a housewife was recovered from a cornfield in Malda in a semi-nude state. The incident took place in Sarkarpara under Bakhrabad gram panchayat, Vaishnavnagar police station.ā The report stated that the womanās body was found in her fatherās agricultural field three days after she disappeared. She was identified as Mousumi Mondal, a 35-year-old woman who had visited her parental home in Malda. The family suspected sexual assault before the murder.
Further investigation through keyword searches led to multiple reports confirming the incident.
A Hindustan Times article published on February 24, 2024, titled āAnother rape and murder case in Malda, 2 bodies recovered on the same day,ā provided additional details.
The deceased was identified as Mousumi who was found in a cornfield in Doshato Bighi village.
The report stated that Mousumiās family said she had visited her parental home four days earlier. On Friday, she went to inspect the familyās farmland but did not return. Her family became worried when she couldnāt be found, leading them to alert the Vaishnavnagar police. A search was conducted and her body was eventually discovered. The family suspects foul play and believes she may have been sexually assaulted before being killed. Authorities have launched an investigation into the incident.
Similarly, Aajkaal.in published a report on the same day, titled āIntense sensation in Malda after double murder,ā which corroborated details in the previous reports.
The report added that Mousumiās throat was slit, leading to suspicions of both rape and murder.
ETV Bharat further confirmed the reports with their article titled āHalf-naked body of woman found in Malda,ā which detailed the semi-nude condition of the body, suggesting possible sexual assault.
Therefore, the viral video claiming to show a Hindu woman attacked and killed in Bangladesh is false. The incident in the video took place in Malda, West Bengal, India, in February 2024, not Bangladesh.
