Recently, a video of houses being set on fire was shared on X (formerly Twitter) by many Indian X handles with the claim that Hindu homes were set on fire by Muslims in Bangladesh.
A post on X (formerly Twitter) claimed: “Homes of the Hindu minorities are burning in Bangladesh. Islamists set ablaze Hindu homes in #Kuliadhar village under Bishnupur union of #Bagerhat district. #SaveBangladeshiHindus.”
Another user on X shared the video with the caption: “Another heartbreaking news from Bangladesh. PEACEFULS have set fire to Hindu homes in Kuliadhar village, Bangladesh. Hindu minority homes are being burnt in Bangladesh on a daily basis. SHAME…!”
Posts making the same claim can be found here, here, here, and here.
Fact-Check
Rumor Scanner’s investigation confirmed that the claim of Hindu houses being set on fire by Muslims in Bagerhat is false. The video shared with this claim actually shows Muslim houses burning at the mentioned location. The fire incident occurred due to a clash between two factions of the same political party over dominance and the formation of the local committee.
Using the location mentioned in the claim posts, we conducted a keyword search on Facebook and found that the video was shared with the caption stating that a clash between two BNP groups occurred and houses were set on fire in Kuliadhar village, Chirulia Bishnupur Union, Bagerhat Sadar. One post we found had the caption, which translates to: “The miscreants set fire to the houses of BNP leader Ruhul Amin and his brothers in the Chirulia-Bishnupur-Kuliadhar area of Bagerhat.”
Later we found media reports on the incident and where the same was mentioned. According to a Bangla Tribune report on the incident, “Clashes have erupted between two factions of the BNP over control of Bagerhat. The incident took place in Kuliadhar village, Bishnupur Union, Sadar Upazila, from Wednesday afternoon to evening. During the conflict, eight houses and several motorcycles were set on fire. Twenty people, including women, were injured in the attacks, with six of them being admitted to hospitals in Bagerhat and Khulna.
According to party and local sources, the clash occurred between the groups of BNP leaders Molla Mostafizur Rahman and Sheikh Ruhul Amin over dominance. As a result, the houses of Sheikh Ruhul Amin and his eight brothers were set on fire in the evening. Following the incident, police and military personnel rushed to the scene, and additional police and military forces were deployed in anticipation of further clashes between the two rival BNP factions.
Among those seriously injured in the attacks were Sheikh Sayel Uddin (60), Liton Sheikh (25), Mamun Molla (42), Keramat Ali (38), and Rozina Begum (45), who are admitted to Bagerhat Hospital. Mahmud Molla (48) was admitted to Khulna Medical College Hospital in critical condition.
Sheikh Ruhul Amin, a member of BNP in Bagerhat Sadar, said, “On Wednesday afternoon, after discussing the formation of the Bishnupur Union BNP committee with District BNP President Akram Hossain Talim, we were on our way home. When we reached the VIP intersection in Kuliadhar village, the leaders and activists of the opposing Molla Mostafizur Rahman group attacked us. During this time, some of my supporters were injured.”
Masum Molla, a leader of the Bishnupur Union BNP group led by Molla Mostafizur Rahman, said, “While we were on our way to file a complaint at the police station regarding the attack on us, members of Sheikh Ruhul Amin’s group attacked us again in the afternoon. Five of us were injured in this attack. This led to further clashes between the two sides in the evening. During this time, the houses of eight of our brothers, including Ruhul Amin’s, were set on fire and looted.”
The report from Prothom Alo states: “It has been learned from conversations with the police and local residents that a public dispute between two leaders of Bishnupur Union BNP, Ruhul Amin alias Ruhul Member and Mostafizur Rahman, has been ongoing since August 5. There have been several clashes between their supporters. Recently, the dispute escalated over the formation of the Union BNP committee. The latest incident occurred on Monday night, with both sides being beaten and motorcycles vandalized.
The conflict escalated further yesterday afternoon and evening, leading to an exchange of gunfire. In the evening, more than a hundred people attacked, vandalized, looted, and set fire to the houses of Ruhul Amin and his seven brothers. The fire destroyed eight houses belonging to Ruhul Amin, as well as cattle sheds, poultry houses, and haystacks.”
We spoke with Mohammad Touhidul Arif, Superintendent of Police of Bagerhat, about the circulated claim and the incident. He clarified that the claim of Hindu houses being set on fire is baseless and merely a rumor. According to him, the fire stemmed from a clash between two factions of the BNP over dominance and the union committee, with no communal angle involved. We also spoke with Md. Saidur Rahman, Officer-in-Charge (OC) of Bagerhat Sadar Model Police Station, who confirmed that no Hindu houses were affected in this incident.
So, a video of a fire at houses belonging to Muslims in Bishnupur, Bagerhat, caused by a local political dispute, was shared with the false claim that it showed Hindu houses being set on fire by Muslims. Therefore, the claim that Hindu houses were set on fire by Muslims in Bagerhat is false.
