Recently, a video has been widely circulated on social media with the claim that “Islamists set fire to the entire Harijan Colony in Chattogram because a Hindu woman refused to convert to Islam and pay Jizya tax.” The video is shared with almost identical captions. At the beginning of the video, two women in tears describe how their homes and all their belongings were burned in a fire. The video also shows massive flames and the charred remains of what appears to be a slum.
See the posts shared on X with this claim: Here (Archive), Here (Archive), Here (Archive)
Fact Check
According to Rumor Scanner’s investigation, the video in question is not related to an arson attack by Islamists in Chattogram’s Harijan Colony over someone’s refusal to convert. Instead, it shows footage of a fire caused by an electrical accident in a slum in Chattogram, which is being falsely shared with that claim.
Upon examining the video, it was observed that it contains the logo of private electronic news channel Somoy TV. Based on this clue, a video titled “Slum dwellers weeping after losing everything in the fire” was found on Somoy TV’s Facebook page, posted on April 15. The video closely resembles the one being circulated.
Referring to the caption of that post, a news report titled “Fire in Chattogram slum brought under control after 1.5 hours” was published on Somoy TV’s YouTube channel on April 15. According to this report, a fire broke out early in the morning on April 15 in a house in the Malipara slum in the CRB Goalpahar area of Chattogram. The fire quickly spread to nearby homes. After being informed, five units from the fire service worked to bring the fire under control.
Later, in a news report published on April 15 on the Bangla Tribune website titled “14 houses burnt in CRB slum fire in Chattogram”, it was reported—citing Chattogram Fire Service Deputy Assistant Director Abdur Razzak—that a preliminary investigation suggested the fire was likely caused by an electrical short circuit.
Conclusion
A fire in Chattogram’s Malipara slum—likely caused by an electrical short circuit—has been falsely portrayed as an arson attack by Islamists in Harijan Colony over a woman’s refusal to convert to Islam. This claim is misleading.
