Recently, a clash broke out between students of Chittagong University and locals from the nearby Jobra village.
A video of the incident, showing students entering the village accompanied by army personnel and some students throwing brickbats at a house, was shared by a Twitter handle named Voice of Bangladeshi Hindus. The handle claimed that Jobra is a Buddhist area and alleged that the Bangladesh Army and Jamaat persecuted the village’s minority Buddhist and Hindu communities.
In its X post, the handle Voice of Bangladeshi Hindus wrote: “New attacks reported in Jobra (Buddhist area), Chattogram. Hindu and Buddhist communities are under assault, allegedly by the Bangladesh military and Jamaat groups. The world cannot stay silent!”
Some more posts making the same claim can be seen here and here.
Fact-Check
Rumor Scanner investigation confirmed that the claim of a communal attack on Buddhist and Hindu minorities by the army and Jamaat in Jobra village is false. Additionally, Jobra is not a Buddhist-majority area, and no attacks targeting minority communities took place there. The recent clash was between students of Chittagong University and local people, and it had no connection to religion or communalism.
It was confirmed that the circulated video is from the recent clash between Chittagong University students and the locals of Jobra village. The footage shows students entering the village accompanied by the army to rescue stranded students. Some students can also be seen attacking a house by throwing brickbats.
According to reports from various news outlets, a clash occurred between Chittagong University students and locals in Jobra village on Saturday night, August 30. The violence was sparked by an argument between a female student renting a room near the university’s Gate No. 2 and the building’s security guard. The incident quickly escalated, triggering widespread chaos in the area.
When the female student returned to her mess around 11 PM and found the building’s gate locked, she called the security guard. An argument then ensued between the student and the guard, during which she alleged that the guard insulted and physically assaulted her.
The student informed her classmates about the incident, and a group of students went to the building to protest, demanding that the guard be handed over to them. The situation eventually escalated into a clash between students and local residents. Both sides threw brickbats and chased each other while carrying sticks and rods. Clashes and counter-chases continued until around 3:30 AM.
Reports say that locals used the mosque’s microphone to gather people, announcing that university students had come to attack them.
Following the night’s clashes, which left some students injured, students and local residents clashed again the next day. Around 11:30 AM, hundreds of students gathered on one side of the road while local residents stood on the opposite side, shouting slogans at each other.
During the clashes, sticks, bricks, rods, and other sharp weapons were used. Jobra village temporarily turned into a battlefield, with students trapped in narrow lanes and attacked. Injured students were taken to the university medical center and later to various hospitals.
The violence also caused damage to houses and shops, as well as looting. While many were injured—mostly students, some critically, and attacked with sharp weapons—it is reported that the students also vandalized local houses, shops, and some vehicles.
From the details gathered, It is confirmed that the clash between students and locals in Jobra village was not motivated by religion, and no religious minorities were targeted. The incident was purely a conflict between Chittagong University students and the nearby local residents. However, a false communal angle was falsely attributed to it.
We also looked into the claim that Jobra village is a Buddhist area. Redwan Ahmed, the Chittagong University correspondent for the Dhaka Mail, stated that Muslims form the majority in Jobra village. There is a Buddhist neighborhood called Barua Para, but no clashes or attacks took place there.
When contacted, Mohammad Mozammel Haque, Associate Professor of the Philosophy Department at Chittagong University, told Rumor Scanner, “It is true that there is a Buddhist neighborhood in the northern part of Jobra village, but the majority of the village’s population is Muslim.” He estimated that approximately 75 percent of the villagers are Muslim, while the remainder are mostly non-Muslim Barua (Buddhist).
Therefore, portraying the incident between Chittagong University students and the residents of nearby Jobra village as a communal attack on Buddhist and Hindu minorities is entirely false and constitutes deliberate communal propaganda.
Sources
- Prothom Alo, BDNews24 and DW Bangla
- Statements from a journalist and a CU professor
- Rumor Scanner Investigation
