Fact Check: Video of murder in public in AP shared as attack on Hindus in Bangladesh

Hyderabad: Amid discussions about Bangladesh’s new interim government, headed by Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus, a video purportedly showing a Hindu being attacked on a busy road in Bangladesh has gone viral on social media.

An X user shared the video (Warning: disturbing visuals) with the caption, “His hand was cut before and then hardly hit on his head. I have no words to say. Please they are our owns. #HindusAreNotSafeInBangladesh #jihad #USA #HindusUnderAttackInBangladesh (sic)” (Archive)

Similar posts can be seen here and here. (Archive), (Archive)

Fact Check

NewsMeter found that the claim is false. The murder attack happened in Andhra Pradesh, not Bangladesh.

NewsMeter covered the incident on July 18, 2024, in a report titled ‘Monstrous Murder: YSRCP Activist Brutally Axed to Death in Palnadu, Section 144 Imposed.’

The report detailed how a YSRCP activist was allegedly killed by a TDP activist in Vinukonda, Andhra Pradesh. According to the report, the victim, Rashid was assaulted by Jilani, who is said to be a TDP activist, using a long knife.

It was mentioned that a video of the incident had gone viral at the time. As seen in the video, the report stated that the attacker severed Rashid’s hands and the victim suffered a severe neck wound that caused him to bleed to death. There was no mention that the attack had a communal motive.

We also found the video in an X post, dated July 18 this year through a reverse image search.

The caption said, “AP is suffering under a regime that has failed its people. These heinous acts aim to suppress YSRCP supporters. In just a month and a half, our state has become synonymous with murder, rape, and political vendetta. The recent brutal murder in Vinukonda is a horrific example. (sic)”

Similarly, The Hindu reported the same crime with the title, ‘Man Brutally Hacked to Death in Andhra Pradesh’s Vinukonda, Incident Caught on Camera,” on July 18, 2024, emphasising that the murder stemmed from personal rivalry rather than political motives.

Hence, we confirm that the video is not from Bangladesh.

This is not the first time the video has been used to spread false information.

Previously, NewsMeter has debunked the same video which was falsely shared as a communal attack in Delhi. The video was in circulation with the claim that it shows a Muslim man Javed hacking a Hindu youth named Rohit to death in Delhi.

Hence, we conclude that the video of the murder attack is from Andhra Pradesh, and is not related to the ongoing turmoil in Bangladesh