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Image Credit: Twitter/ShivamdixitInd
No, Kids Seen In This Viral Video Are Not Illegal Rohingya Muslim Immigrants From Bangladesh; Viral Claim Is False
Writer: Jakir Hassan
A journalist at heart loves the in-depth work of reporting, writing, editing, research, and data analysis. A digital and social media enthusiast.
West Bengal, 23 May 2023 10:09 AM GMT
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As the founding editor, Bharat had been heading the newsroom during the formation years of the organization and worked towards editorial policies, conceptualizing and designing campaign strategies and collaborations. He believes that through the use of digital media, one could engage the millennial's in rational conversations about pertinent social issues, provoking them to think and bring a behavioral change accordingly.
Creatives : Jakir Hassan
A journalist at heart loves the in-depth work of reporting, writing, editing, research, and data analysis. A digital and social media enthusiast.
We found that the viral video shows children coming to Kolhapur from Bihar via West Bengal to receive education at a madrasa. The viral claim is false.
A video showing several minor boys getting down from a truck in the presence of police is being shared widely across social media with the claim that kids illegally entered India through Bangladesh. Some social media users also claimed that they are Rohingya Muslims illegally migrating from Bangladesh to India.
Claim:
The video shows persons in police fatigues standing around while several boys get down from the truck. The boys get down gradually and most appear to be wearing skull caps. Several persons can be seen recording the incident.
A Twitter user Shivam Dixit shared the video with the claim, "In Kolhapur, Maharashtra, a truck carrying 63 Muslim children was intercepted by the police near Ruikar Colony at 2 pm today. All the children claimed to be from Bihar but railway tickets from West Bengal have been recovered from them. Now let me tell you that Rohingyas from Bangladesh are allowed to enter West Bengal and from there they are being transported across the country. What is the plan after all…?”
Another user shared the video with the claim, "Alerts🚨’What is the plan after All’..? 🤔Maharashtra Kolhapur: A truck carrying 63 Muslim children was caught near Ruikar Colony (Kolhapur) at 2 pm today. The children claimed to be from Bihar, but were found to have railway tickets to West Bengal.”
It is being widely shared on Twitter and Facebook with a similar claim.
Fact Check:
We conducted a keyword search taking a cue from the viral video. We came across a report by Special Coverage News
On Wednesday, Maharashtra police stopped and seized a truck carrying 63 minor Muslim boys in Kolhapur city of Maharashtra. These Muslim boys, aged between 13, were from Bihar, Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal and were brought to the city via train from Bihar.
According to preliminary information, the boys were brought in large numbers and were being sent to a madrasa in Ajra in Kolhapur district for education.
We also came across a report by India TV titled, 'Sensation after 63 young children got out of a truck in Kolhapur, Maharashtra, Hindu organizations gave information' published on May 18, 2023.
"Incident of meeting 63 innocent children in a truck in Kolhapur, Maharashtra has spread sensation। According to information, a truck was seated in 63 small children in Kolhapur, Maharashtra। The incident occurred on Wednesday ( 17 May ) 2 pm। All these children are aged 8-12, who arrived in Kolhapur via train from Bihar and West Bengal।All the children studied in the madrasa. After arriving at the station, some Hinduist organizations informed the police about the children being put in the truck। According to the police, all these children studied in a madrasa in the area itself. Everyone went to their homes during the summer vacation। All arrived at Kolhapur station by train together," the report says.
We came across a video report by news agency IANS uploaded on May 18, 2023. The description of the video reads, "This truck standing in the pictures and these children continuously coming down from it... have come to Maharashtra to get religious education... at first sight the police thought that this is a case of child trafficking... because these children are not from the nearby state Rather they came from Bihar and Bengal... All the children sitting in the truck are wearing caps of a particular community. But when the police stopped the truck in Kolhapur, it came to know that this is not a case of child trafficking but of religious education... That is, these 63 children have come from Bihar and Bengal to study in Madrasas in Maharashtra."
In the video, the reporter notes that initially, the police suspected it to be a case of child trafficking since the children had arrived from faraway places. However, as the report states that it became clear that they had come to study at a madrasa located in Kolhapur, Maharashtra.
Conclusion:
We found that the viral video shows children coming to Kolhapur from Bihar via West Bengal to receive education at a madrasa. As per media reports and police statements, the claims that these children are illegal migrants from Bangladesh or belonging to the Rohingya community who have illegally entered India are 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.
Also Read: Does This Video Show A Factory Explosion In West Bengal? No, Viral Video Is From Kerala
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