Accounts on X recently posted a video showing a group of ferries full of passengers, accompanied by the following claim: “Hindus flee Bangladesh after many of them were subjected to heinous crimes at the hands of Muslims”.
Kashif verified the video via the “INVID” tool and found that it is old and the claim is misleading. It was published by the “ GALIB HASAN RIMON ” channel on YouTube on 9 May 2024, accompanied by the following text in Bengali: “Traditions of the Southern Region are Disappearing.”
The owner of the channel “GALIB HASAN RIMON” explains in his description that the aim of creating the channel is “to highlight the entertainment and cultural heritage of Bangladesh.”
Kashif’s team also found that a group of accounts on social media platforms published the video clip in May 2024, including the “ Assiv ti Lassiv ” account on Facebook, which attached the clip with the following text: “Thousands of Eid passengers on the deck of the ship”.
While the video was published by channels on YouTube in June, such as “ ARBUR VLOGS ” and in July, such as “ Max Ber ”, the channels stated that the video was from Bangladesh.
Kashif’s team verified the video and found the name of one of the ferries, “karnaphuli – 13”, and through searching the name of the ferry, it turned out that it was displayed on the “ Seat Booking ” website, which is a Bangladeshi-owned website based in Mirpur, Dhaka, and provides booking information in Bangladesh.
Bangladesh is a Muslim-majority country of about 170 million people, with Hindus being the country’s largest religious minority, making up 8% of the population. Hindus are a key and steadfast support base for the Awami League party led by outgoing Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina. Hundreds of Hindu homes, businesses and temples were vandalized after Hasina’s ouster, Reuters reported.
The new Bangladeshi government has said it is working to resolve the attacks that Hindus and other religious minorities say they have been subjected to.
The resigned Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina faced marches led by university students last July against the decision to re-impose employment quotas in the public sector, which later turned into massive demonstrations that toppled Hasina and forced her to flee the country.