Old Video From Bangladesh Viral With False Claim Of Muslims Obstructing Army Vehicles In West Bengal

A video showing a group of men standing in the way of an armored vehicle and an ambulance and stopping it from passing in the street is going viral across social media. The video is going viral with the claim that it is from West Bengal where people from the Muslims stopped the vehicle of armed forces while carrying an injured "Lashkar terrorist."

Claim:

The viral video shows people standing around with rods in their hands as an armored vehicle approaches. They wave the car down and gather around it as the persons in the armored vehicle look on. In the video, the people gather around the car unwilling to let it pass. The video is shared with the claim, "While carrying an injured Lashkar jawan in Bengal, some look-alikes surrounded and stopped the vehicles of the soldiers. This is the value of a soldier's life in their eyes....????"

Fact Check:

We used InVid's Keyframe Analysis to break down the keyframes of the viral video which threw up a Facebook Live video by user HM Al Amin uploaded on March 28, 2021.

Amin wrote that the video was shot at Hathazari Road in Bangladesh. The caption in Bangla says, "হাটহাজারী সড়কে সেনাবাহিনী (Translation: “Army at Hathazari Road”). We then went through the video again and noticed that the number plate on the vehicle was written in Bangla.

We also noticed the red logo with the two swords crossed emblazoned on the ambulance and the army men’s uniform, both indicated that they belong to the Bangladesh army.

The same emblem can be observed in other images of Bangladeshi officers wearing their uniforms.

At the 4.33 mark in the Facebook Live, we noticed a board that reads আল হেরা তাহফিজুল কুরআন ইসলামি একাডেমী” (Translation: “Al Hera Tahfizul Quran Islamic Academy.") As per the Academy’s Facebook page, it’s located at Rangamati Road in Isapur, Fayzia Bazar in Chittagong’s Hathazari.

Taking a cue from this, we conducted a keyword search for the street view of Isapur Fayzia Bazar on Google Maps. This street view dates back to 2015 and we found another building similar to the one seen in the viral video.

Other videos of the road blockade can be seen below uploaded on March 30, 2021 by Hathazari Vision TV.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi traveled to Dhaka on March 26 for a two-day tour of Bangladesh. Protests were held across the country to protest against his visit. The clip in question depicts one such protest. As per the Bangladeshi news outlet Dhaka Tribune, the Madrasa students in Hathazari blocked the Chittagong-Khagrachari Highway during their demonstrations. They blocked traffic movement and the vehicle flow resumed in the area on Sunday, 28 March night after three days of violent clashes between the protesters and the police.

Five people were killed in two separate incidents in Chittagong and Brahmanbaria during protests against PM Modi.

Bangladeshi news outlet Prothom Alo reported that the Hathazari madrasa students had barricaded the roads and at least four people were killed amid clashes with the police.

Conclusion:

We found that the viral video was shot in Chittagong’s Hathazari in March, 2021. The viral video was shot as PM Modi was visiting Bangladesh and protests were being held across the country against his visit. Footage from a protest against Prime Minister Modi’s Bangladesh visit was falsely shared on social media as an incident from West Bengal. Hence, the viral claim is false.

If you have any news that you believe needs to be fact-checked, please email us at factcheck@thelogicalindian.com or WhatsApp at 6364000343.

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