Recently, a video has been circulating on social media claiming that activists of Jamaat-Shibir set fire to the homes of four Hindu families in the Paschim Barua area of Nanupur Union, Fatikchhari Upazila.
See posts spreading this claim on X: Here (Archive), Here (Archive), Here (Archive), and Here (Archive).
Fact-Check
An investigation by the Rumor Scanner team found that Jamaat-Shibir activists did not set fire to the homes of four Hindu families in Paschim Baruapara, Nanupur Union, Fatikchhari. In reality, the claim was spread using a video of an accidental fire in the area. Moreover, a family member confirmed that the affected families were not Hindu but Buddhist.
A reverse image search of key frames from the claimed video led to a Facebook Live video broadcast by an account named “Nikash Barua” on February 19. This video matches exactly with the widely circulated video.
In the live video, the person behind the camera states that a massive fire broke out in Paschim Baruapara, Nanupur. However, he does not mention that the fire was deliberately set.
Based on this video, a keyword search led to a news report published on February 20 by the mainstream media outlet Bangladesh Pratidin, which provides details of the incident. The report states that on February 19, at around 8:30 PM, a fire in Paschim Nanupur village, Ward No. 4 of Nanupur Union, Fatikchhari, completely destroyed the homes of four families.
According to the report by Bangladesh Pratidin, citing Nanupur Union Parishad Panel Chairman Touhidul Alam, the fire completely burned down the semi-pucca houses of Nilu Barua, Dilip Barua, Dipankar Barua, and Adesh Barua, leaving their families destitute.
However, the report does not mention any evidence of arson or any deliberate act of fire-setting due to hostility.
To gather further details, the Rumor Scanner team contacted Kamal Uddin Chowdhury, the Acting Officer of Fatikchhari Fire Service. He confirmed that the fire was caused by a short circuit. Since all the affected houses were made of highly flammable materials, the fire spread rapidly. He also stated that no local complaints of arson had been reported.
Rupan Barua, the eldest son of the affected Nilu Barua, told Rumor Scanner that the fire started in their own house and is believed to have been caused by a short circuit. He confirmed that the incident had no connection to Jamaat-e-Islami and that no one had deliberately set the fire.
Adesh Barua, another affected individual, gave the same statement.
Meanwhile, Dilip Barua stated that all four affected families were Buddhist. He added that there were no Hindu families in the vicinity and that the area itself is named Baruapara.
Conclusion
The claim that Jamaat-Shibir activists set fire to the homes of four Hindu families in Fatikchhari is false.
Sources
- Nikash Barua: Facebook Live.
- Bangladesh Pratidin: “Four Houses Burned in Fatikchhari”.
- Statement from Kamal Uddin Chowdhury, Acting Officer, Fatikchhari Fire Service.
- Statement from Rupan Barua, Member of the Affected Family.
- Statement from Adesh Barua, Member of the Affected Family.
- Statement from Dilip Barua, Member of the Affected Family.
