Recently, a video has circulated on social media claiming that Muslims in Bangladesh attacked a Hindu girl by throwing acid on her face. In the video, a young woman is seen covering her face with her hands and a bag, while several young men around her are shouting for water.
See some posts circulated on X with the same claim here (archive), and here (archive).
See posts circulated on Facebook with this claim here (archive), here (archive), here (archive), here (archive), and here (archive).
Fact Check
According to the investigation by the Rumor Scanner team, the viral video is not of an acid attack on a Hindu girl by Muslims in Bangladesh. In reality, it is a video of a female student affected by tear gas during a protest by the students of Narsingdi Textile Engineering College in front of the Secretariat.
A reverse image search of key frames from the claimed video led to the discovery of a video on the Facebook page of the mainstream online news outlet Dhaka Post, published on February 13, titled “Chase and Counter-Chase Between Students and Police in Front of the Secretariat.” The scenes starting from the 2-minute and 40-second mark in that video matches the footage seen in the viral video.
An analysis of the video reveals that the journalist behind the camera mentioned that a student was injured while fleeing from the police. At the same time, another person stated that the injured student had been hit by tear gas. The video also shows a woman sitting on a rickshaw, covering her face with her bag and hands, while someone beside her was looking for water. During this moment, someone at the scene suggested holding a lighter’s flame near her face instead of using water to relieve the effects of the tear gas. Another person then advised removing the bag from her face to allow the flame to be brought closer. Simultaneously, someone asked the journalist to stop filming, prompting the journalist to lower the camera.
These observations confirm that the video is unrelated to any acid attack incident.
According to a report published on February 13 by the online news outlet JagoNews24, the incident in front of the Secretariat occurred during a protest by students of Narsingdi Textile Engineering College. The students had been protesting for several months, demanding the transfer of their college from the jurisdiction of the Bangladesh Handloom Board to the Department of Textiles and for the establishment of their own campus. Their demands were ignored, and an order was issued to close the college and relocate it to Kalihati in Tangail. In response, they organized a protest in front of the Secretariat on February 13. They refused to negotiate with the Secretary in the absence of an advisor. When the students attempted to enter the Secretariat, the police dispersed them using water cannons, batons, and chase tactics.
An investigation into the identity of the woman in the viral video led to the discovery of Md. Arnob Akand, also known as Tihad Arnob, who was injured during the protest. He informed Rumor Scanner that the woman in the video is his classmate and that the allegation of acid being thrown on her face is completely false.
Through Arnob, it was revealed that the person accompanying the woman on the rickshaw was Ashikuzzaman Limon. He confirmed to Rumor Scanner that the woman is his senior and that she is of the Hindu faith. However, the claim that acid was thrown on her face is entirely false.
Limon explained that during the protest, the female student was at the front and was affected by the tear gas smoke. To bring the situation under control, he quickly placed her on a rickshaw and attempted to take her to a safer location. During this time, she covered her face with her bag and hands to shield herself from the media cameras.
It is worth noting that although Rumor Scanner’s investigation revealed the name and full identity of the woman in the video, she is currently experiencing mental distress due to the video’s viral spread on social media and the subsequent rumors associated with it. Out of respect for her privacy and in response to her request not to disclose her identity, her name and personal details have been deliberately omitted from this report.
Conclusion
The viral video claiming that a Hindu girl was attacked with acid by Muslims in Bangladesh is false. An investigation by Rumor Scanner confirmed that the woman was affected by tear gas during a student protest, not by acid. The claim is false.
Sources
- Rumor Scanner’s analysis.
- Dhaka Post: Facebook Post
- Jagonews24: সচিবালয়ের সামনে আন্দোলনরত শিক্ষার্থীদের পুলিশের ধাওয়া
- Statement from Tihad Arnob.
- Statement from Ashikuzzaman Limon.
