Recently, a claim circulated on social media stating, “I already know that no one will stand up for the minority Hindus in Bangladesh. Khushi Roy, a Hindu girl, was active in the minority rights movement. The Islamic administration arrested her.” Additionally, it was claimed, “Those working for minority rights are being tracked and charged. The Islamic administration has arrested Khushi Roy’s entire family.”
The claim suggested that Khushi Roy was detained for her work on minority rights.
See the posts shared on X (formerly Twitter) here (Archive) and here (Archive).
Fact Check
An investigation by the Rumor Scanner team revealed that Khushi Roy’s arrest was unrelated to her work on minority rights. Instead, she, along with several others, was detained on charges of crossing the border and entering India illegally.
Upon reviewing the posts related to the discussed claim, no reliable evidence was found to substantiate the allegations. A search using relevant keywords led to a report published on January 20 by the national daily Prothom Alo, titled “Attempt to Enter India through Panchagarh Border, Five Bangladeshis Arrested” (Archive).
According to the report:
“Five Bangladeshi citizens, including two couples, have been arrested on charges of attempting to illegally enter India through the Borshushi border in the Boda upazila of Panchagarh. Around 12:45 a.m. on Sunday night (January 19), members of the Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) detained them approximately 100 yards inside Bangladesh in the Kazipara area, near the 6th sub-pillar of the 777th main pillar at the Borshushi border in the Borshushi union of the upazila. Later, a case was filed, and they were formally arrested. Along with the five detainees, three children were handed over to their relatives. The arrested individuals are Biswajit Roy (27) and his wife Khushi Roy (23) from Chhoto Chandipur in Parbatipur upazila, Dinajpur; Ratan Roy (30) and his wife Chandana Rani Roy (28) from Telian in Kaharol upazila, Dinajpur; and Sujon Roy (21) from Utakuri in Boda upazila, Panchagarh. During BGB questioning, the detainees revealed that they had planned to cross into India to visit relatives and had negotiated with members of several trafficking networks, agreeing to pay 130,000 BDT to reach the border area. During this time, three mobile phones and 4,584 BDT in cash were seized from them. Inspector (Investigation) Md. Rezwanul Haque of Boda Police Station told Prothom Alo over the phone that the BGB had filed a case against the five individuals under the Passport Act. They are in the process of being presented in court in connection with the case.”
Similarly, another report published by Samakal on the same day (Archive) stated that the Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) detained eight individuals, including women and children, on charges of attempting to illegally enter India through the border in Boda upazila of Panchagarh, with Khushi Roy’s name included among the detainees. They were apprehended late at night on Sunday (January 19) in the Kazipara border area of Boda upazila. Legal proceedings are underway against them on charges of illegal entry into India. However, the children were handed over to their relatives upon obtaining written undertakings.
The same information was corroborated by multiple news sources (Source). However, none of these reports mentioned that Khushi Roy was arrested due to her involvement in minority rights advocacy or communal reasons.
Additionally, various posts on Facebook (Archive) indicated that the Khushi Roy discussed as a religious content creator and the Khushi Roy detained for attempting to enter India illegally are the same person.
Conclusion
Khushi Roy was detained with others for attempting to illegally cross into India, as confirmed by credible reports. Legal action was taken under the Passport Act, and the children were handed over to relatives. Claims linking her arrest to minority rights advocacy are misleading.
