Hundreds of Bangladeshi Hindus try to cross into India
By AFP
August 8, 2024
A cobbler reads a newspaper along a street in Dhaka days after prime minister Sheikh Hasina fled the country - Copyright AFP MUNIR UZ ZAMAN
Hundreds of Hindus in Bangladesh were gathered along the Indian border hoping to cross, security officials said Thursday, days after a student-led uprising toppled prime minister Sheikh Hasina.
Some businesses and homes owned by Hindus were attacked following Hasina’s ousting, and the group is seen by some in Muslim-majority Bangladesh as having been close to her.
“Several hundred Bangladeshi nationals, mostly Hindus, gathered at different points along India’s border with Bangladesh,” Amit Kumar Tyagi, India’s Border Security Force (BSF) deputy inspector general, told AFP.
More than 200 people were “standing close” to the frontier with India’s border in West Bengal state.
In the state’s Jalpaiguri district, more than 600 Bangladeshis gathered in no-man’s land, Tyagi added.
“As there is no fence here, BSF personnel formed a human shield to keep them at bay,” he said.
Officers fired a blank shot into the air to disperse crowds, he added.
Hasina, 76, who had been in power since 2009, quit on Monday after more than a month of deadly protests.
The security situation in Bangladesh has since dramatically improved but there have been reports of revenge attacks on her supporters and party officials.
The Bangladesh Hindu Buddhist Christian Unity Council said earlier this week that at least 10 Hindu temples were attacked by “miscreants” on Monday.
A hospital official, on condition of anonymity, told AFP that one man from the community was beaten to death in the country’s southern Bagerhat district.
In India, where Hasina is now taking shelter, foreign minister S. Jaishankar said Tuesday his government was “monitoring the situation” with regard to minorities.
By AFP
August 8, 2024
A cobbler reads a newspaper along a street in Dhaka days after prime minister Sheikh Hasina fled the country - Copyright AFP MUNIR UZ ZAMAN
Hundreds of Hindus in Bangladesh were gathered along the Indian border hoping to cross, security officials said Thursday, days after a student-led uprising toppled prime minister Sheikh Hasina.
Some businesses and homes owned by Hindus were attacked following Hasina’s ousting, and the group is seen by some in Muslim-majority Bangladesh as having been close to her.
“Several hundred Bangladeshi nationals, mostly Hindus, gathered at different points along India’s border with Bangladesh,” Amit Kumar Tyagi, India’s Border Security Force (BSF) deputy inspector general, told AFP.
More than 200 people were “standing close” to the frontier with India’s border in West Bengal state.
In the state’s Jalpaiguri district, more than 600 Bangladeshis gathered in no-man’s land, Tyagi added.
“As there is no fence here, BSF personnel formed a human shield to keep them at bay,” he said.
Officers fired a blank shot into the air to disperse crowds, he added.
Hasina, 76, who had been in power since 2009, quit on Monday after more than a month of deadly protests.
The security situation in Bangladesh has since dramatically improved but there have been reports of revenge attacks on her supporters and party officials.
The Bangladesh Hindu Buddhist Christian Unity Council said earlier this week that at least 10 Hindu temples were attacked by “miscreants” on Monday.
A hospital official, on condition of anonymity, told AFP that one man from the community was beaten to death in the country’s southern Bagerhat district.
In India, where Hasina is now taking shelter, foreign minister S. Jaishankar said Tuesday his government was “monitoring the situation” with regard to minorities.
DW
08/07/24
During recent protests in Bangladesh, old images of rape and violent attacks on Bangladeshi Hindus have resurfaced online. A DW fact check reveals the truth behind these viral claims.
Claims about rape, sexual harassment of Hindu women
There are many claims circulating on various social media platforms about sexual violence against women from the Hindu minority in Bangladesh. Two have been shared multiple times and viewed thousands of times. But some are old, and some have been proven to be earlier events presented out of context, like this case.
Claim: A video shows Muslim men waving a Hindu woman's underwear
The post on X says, "Look carefully at these Bangladeshi Muslims: Hindu girls' bras were removed and then they were raped. Now he is roaming the streets with that bra shamelessly and presenting proof of his manhood." As of publication, the post had about 30,000 views.
DW fact check: False
The 23-second video shows protesters storming the prime minister's official residence. Many pictures and videos have been published online showing rioters looting Hasina's belongings, including her clothes and underwear since she fled the country. In the last seconds of the video, a building with red-brown walls is visible, resembling Ganabhaban, the official residence of the Bangladeshi prime minister.
A comparison of the building in the video and images of Ganabhaban from agency footage shows that the building is indeed the official residence of the former prime minister. In the photo below, the palm trees and window shapes match those seen in the last seconds of the video.
During recent protests in Bangladesh, old images of rape and violent attacks on Bangladeshi Hindus have resurfaced online. A DW fact check reveals the truth behind these viral claims.
After the ouster of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, protesters attacked and vandalized several businesses, government buildings and cultural centers
Image: Rajib Dhar/AP/dpa/picture alliance
Bangladesh has plunged into chaos following the ouster of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on August 5, which came after weeks of riots.
Initially peaceful protests by students escalated into a broader movement demanding an end to Hasina's increasingly authoritarian leadership.
After her resignation, crowds stormed the prime minister's palace, vandalizing it along with other state-owned buildings and homes of members of the governing Awami League party.
According to Indian and local media, attacks on houses, places of worship and businesses belonging to religious minorities took place across the country. Hindu temples were targeted in several cities, including Natore, Dhaka, Patuakhali, and Jessore. In response, several students and clerics reportedly gathered in front of the temples to protect them from mob violence.
Like its neighbor India, Bangladesh has a history of religious tensions between its Hindu and Muslim communities. In recent years, the Bangladeshi Hindu minority, which makes up 8% of the population, has been targeted by violent mobs several times. However, many reports about the attacks on Hindu temples and communities by Bangladeshi protesters were not true.
DW Fact Check has investigated a few viral cases.
Hindu cricketer's house 'set on fire'
Claim: "Bangladeshi Hindu cricketer Liton Das' house has been set on fire"
A post on X(formerly Twitter) alleged that the house of Liton Das, a famous Bangladeshi Hindu cricketer, had been set on fire, sharing a collage of two pictures as evidence.
In one image a young man can be seen sitting next to a Hindu place of worship and the other image shows a burning house. More than a million users have seen the post. The collage was also shared by numerous other accounts with similar claims.
Bangladesh has plunged into chaos following the ouster of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on August 5, which came after weeks of riots.
Initially peaceful protests by students escalated into a broader movement demanding an end to Hasina's increasingly authoritarian leadership.
After her resignation, crowds stormed the prime minister's palace, vandalizing it along with other state-owned buildings and homes of members of the governing Awami League party.
According to Indian and local media, attacks on houses, places of worship and businesses belonging to religious minorities took place across the country. Hindu temples were targeted in several cities, including Natore, Dhaka, Patuakhali, and Jessore. In response, several students and clerics reportedly gathered in front of the temples to protect them from mob violence.
Like its neighbor India, Bangladesh has a history of religious tensions between its Hindu and Muslim communities. In recent years, the Bangladeshi Hindu minority, which makes up 8% of the population, has been targeted by violent mobs several times. However, many reports about the attacks on Hindu temples and communities by Bangladeshi protesters were not true.
DW Fact Check has investigated a few viral cases.
Hindu cricketer's house 'set on fire'
Claim: "Bangladeshi Hindu cricketer Liton Das' house has been set on fire"
A post on X(formerly Twitter) alleged that the house of Liton Das, a famous Bangladeshi Hindu cricketer, had been set on fire, sharing a collage of two pictures as evidence.
In one image a young man can be seen sitting next to a Hindu place of worship and the other image shows a burning house. More than a million users have seen the post. The collage was also shared by numerous other accounts with similar claims.
Rioters attacked several houses and businesses belonging to ruling party members, including the ex-cricket player Mashrafe Mortaza. However, some users have falsely claimed the house in the picture belonged to Hindu cricketer Liton DasImage: X
DW fact check: False
The man in the picture is indeed Liton Das, and a reverse image search shows that the image was taken from his official account. However, the burning mansion is not his home. A reverse search of that image leads to media reports about former Bangladesh cricket team captain Mashrafe Mortaza's house being set on fire by protesters.
DW also geolocated the house and confirmed it belonged to Mortaza, who became a target due to his political activities and close alliance with Hasina's Awami League party. The Muslim sportsman was a member of parliament, having won a seat for the second consecutive time as an Awami League candidate during the general elections held in Bangladesh earlier this year.
DW fact check: False
The man in the picture is indeed Liton Das, and a reverse image search shows that the image was taken from his official account. However, the burning mansion is not his home. A reverse search of that image leads to media reports about former Bangladesh cricket team captain Mashrafe Mortaza's house being set on fire by protesters.
DW also geolocated the house and confirmed it belonged to Mortaza, who became a target due to his political activities and close alliance with Hasina's Awami League party. The Muslim sportsman was a member of parliament, having won a seat for the second consecutive time as an Awami League candidate during the general elections held in Bangladesh earlier this year.
Images from Google Street View confirm that the burning house belongs to Mashrafe MortazaImage: Google 2024
Claims about rape, sexual harassment of Hindu women
There are many claims circulating on various social media platforms about sexual violence against women from the Hindu minority in Bangladesh. Two have been shared multiple times and viewed thousands of times. But some are old, and some have been proven to be earlier events presented out of context, like this case.
Claim: A video shows Muslim men waving a Hindu woman's underwear
The post on X says, "Look carefully at these Bangladeshi Muslims: Hindu girls' bras were removed and then they were raped. Now he is roaming the streets with that bra shamelessly and presenting proof of his manhood." As of publication, the post had about 30,000 views.
DW fact check: False
The 23-second video shows protesters storming the prime minister's official residence. Many pictures and videos have been published online showing rioters looting Hasina's belongings, including her clothes and underwear since she fled the country. In the last seconds of the video, a building with red-brown walls is visible, resembling Ganabhaban, the official residence of the Bangladeshi prime minister.
A comparison of the building in the video and images of Ganabhaban from agency footage shows that the building is indeed the official residence of the former prime minister. In the photo below, the palm trees and window shapes match those seen in the last seconds of the video.
The location where the protester is seen holding women's undergarments corresponds to photos of people storming the prime minister's palace in Dhaka, as published by news agenciesImage: Mohammad Ponir Hossain/REUTERS
Another post on X shares a screenshot of a Telegram post with a tilted picture of a woman being restrained, accompanied by Bengali text threatening Hindus and encouraging violence to drive them back to India.
Claim: A Hindu woman was sexually assaulted and gang-raped by a group of Muslim men at the University of Dhaka.
This post (warning: extreme, graphic violence) was published on August 2, three days before Hasina fled the country. But it has been increasingly shared by numerous other accounts in recent days, to date garnering more than 30,000 views.
The caption reads: "The so-called Jamaat-e-Islami quota protesters leaked a video of the gang rape of a Hindu girl to the Islamic army group. If Hasina's government falls, they have threatened to rape all Hindu girls out of their homes."
DW fact check: False
A reverse image search of that same screenshot has been shared in past years with claims of rape and sexual abuse, but from different regions. For example, it was attributed to a gang rape in the Indian province of Manipur in 2023, claiming to show Hindu men kidnapping and gang-raping a Christian girl. In 2021, it went viral in Indonesia, claiming to show an Indonesian migrant worker woman tortured and raped by five Bangladeshi citizens.
The Indian fact-checking platform Boom traced the video back to its origin in East Bengaluru's Ramamurthy Nagar in May 2021, where police arrested 12 Bangladeshi nationals, including three women, for the assault and rape of a 22-year-old.
AI images also used to stir emotions
The plethora of unverified social posts aimed at heightening ethnic tensions in Bangladesh haven't just used old or manipulated images and videos. Content generated by artificial intelligence has also played a role.
One AI-generated image is going viral on platforms like X and Facebook. It depicts a massive crowd gathered around a towering flagpole with the Bangladeshi flag waving at the top, under a hazy sky. The scene suggests a large-scale event or demonstration, symbolizing national pride and unity.
Another post on X shares a screenshot of a Telegram post with a tilted picture of a woman being restrained, accompanied by Bengali text threatening Hindus and encouraging violence to drive them back to India.
Claim: A Hindu woman was sexually assaulted and gang-raped by a group of Muslim men at the University of Dhaka.
This post (warning: extreme, graphic violence) was published on August 2, three days before Hasina fled the country. But it has been increasingly shared by numerous other accounts in recent days, to date garnering more than 30,000 views.
The caption reads: "The so-called Jamaat-e-Islami quota protesters leaked a video of the gang rape of a Hindu girl to the Islamic army group. If Hasina's government falls, they have threatened to rape all Hindu girls out of their homes."
DW fact check: False
A reverse image search of that same screenshot has been shared in past years with claims of rape and sexual abuse, but from different regions. For example, it was attributed to a gang rape in the Indian province of Manipur in 2023, claiming to show Hindu men kidnapping and gang-raping a Christian girl. In 2021, it went viral in Indonesia, claiming to show an Indonesian migrant worker woman tortured and raped by five Bangladeshi citizens.
The Indian fact-checking platform Boom traced the video back to its origin in East Bengaluru's Ramamurthy Nagar in May 2021, where police arrested 12 Bangladeshi nationals, including three women, for the assault and rape of a 22-year-old.
AI images also used to stir emotions
The plethora of unverified social posts aimed at heightening ethnic tensions in Bangladesh haven't just used old or manipulated images and videos. Content generated by artificial intelligence has also played a role.
One AI-generated image is going viral on platforms like X and Facebook. It depicts a massive crowd gathered around a towering flagpole with the Bangladeshi flag waving at the top, under a hazy sky. The scene suggests a large-scale event or demonstration, symbolizing national pride and unity.
Modified versions of this AI-generated image have also been used to promote claims about ethnic violenceImage: X/PakForeverIA
The image exhibits typical signs of AI generation. The figures on the pole have disfigured, abnormal legs and the perspective is off, with the vertical pole and the background crowd view appearing unusual. Additionally, the proportions of the people on the pole and those below do not match. Several pieces of rope seem to float in the air without connection.
Modified versions of this graphic have also been used to promote claims of ethnic violence. For instance, one version includes the words "ALL EYES ON BANGLADESH, SAVE HINDUS." Another AI-generated photomaking the rounds shows a burning Hindu temple with the superimposed "ALL EYES ON BANGLADESH HINDUS" text. The foreground depicts numerous bodies lying on the ground, with blood and debris, creating a scene of violence and destruction.
Andreas Wisskirchen contributed to this report.
Monir Ghaedi Iranian author and reporter on current affairs
The image exhibits typical signs of AI generation. The figures on the pole have disfigured, abnormal legs and the perspective is off, with the vertical pole and the background crowd view appearing unusual. Additionally, the proportions of the people on the pole and those below do not match. Several pieces of rope seem to float in the air without connection.
Modified versions of this graphic have also been used to promote claims of ethnic violence. For instance, one version includes the words "ALL EYES ON BANGLADESH, SAVE HINDUS." Another AI-generated photomaking the rounds shows a burning Hindu temple with the superimposed "ALL EYES ON BANGLADESH HINDUS" text. The foreground depicts numerous bodies lying on the ground, with blood and debris, creating a scene of violence and destruction.
Andreas Wisskirchen contributed to this report.
Monir Ghaedi Iranian author and reporter on current affairs
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