Fact Check: Video shows hotel on fire in Bangladesh, not Hindu temple

Hyderabad: Bangladesh Army Chief General Waker-Uz-Zaman announced on state television that Sheikh Hasina has resigned as the prime minister and the military would form an interim government. Amid the turmoil, Hasina has fled the country and is reportedly staying in India while her plan to seek asylum in the UK remains uncertain.

After Hasina fled the country, social media has become flooded with misinformation. Indian Twitter handles are sharing numerous alleged evidences of a sudden spike in violence against Hindus in Bangladesh. Against this backdrop, a video showing a building with dome-like structures engulfed in flames has gone viral with the claim that the video shows a Hindu temple being torched by protestors.

An X user shared the video and wrote, “One more Hindu Temple set on fire by Bangladeshi barbarian Islamists…” (Archive)

Another X user shared the video and wrote, “In 61 out of 64 districts of Bangladesh, the population of Hindus is second in number. Bangladeshi media claims that Hindus are being targeted in 27 districts, and Hindu communities and temples are being attacked. Meanwhile, an all-party meeting is going on in India on the situation in Bangladesh. India needs to intervene immediately.” (Translated from Hindi)

Fact Check

NewsMeter found that the claim is false. The building engulfed in fire is a hotel, not a Hindu temple.

Upon conducting a reverse image search of the video’s keyframe, we found a screengrab in a report published on August 5 by Kalbela, a leading national daily newspaper in Bangladesh. The newspaper reported that during a joyous procession, vandalism and arson occurred in various places in the Satkhira district following news of Hasina resigning and fleeing the country.

It mentioned attacks on various locations, including police stations, jails and houses of political leaders. However, there was no mention of an attack on the temple in Satkhira.

We also found the same building in several videos posted on YouTube around seven months ago. The first video was titled ‘Raj Prasad Restaurant Kalaroa, Satkhira.’ The second video was titled ‘A 100 crores palace has been constructed in Kalaroa, Satkhira district.’ The caption said that the owner of the Raj Prasad is Kazi Shahzada Bhai.

Further, we extracted a keyframe from the YouTube video showing the entrance of the building. Using AI tools ChatGpt and Google Gemini, we identified the text on the sign at the entrance and discovered that the hotel is indeed named ‘Raj Prasad.’

Through a keyword search, we found a promotional YouTube video of the same building published on January 3, 2024. The 4:21-minute video shows a man giving an indoor and outdoor tour of the building starting with the front.

According to the video’s title, the building is Raj Prasad Coffee Shop & Restaurant in Kalaroa, Satkhira district.

We also geo-located the structure using Google Maps. Here's the same building under construction captured on camera in February 2023. In the comment section, several people talked about the quality of food and services provided by the hotel.

Hence, we conclude that the video shows a hotel engulfed in fire, not a Hindu temple.