On Sunday, December 2, footage of a vandalism incident spread widely across social media platforms X (formerly Twitter) and Facebook. The video was claimed to depict the destruction of a Hindu temple in Bangladesh, allegedly taking place the day before, on December 1.
The video was shared with the false claim on multiple posts on X:
A similar claim was also made in posts shared on Facebook. For example, one such post can be seen here (Archive).
Fact Check
An investigation by the Rumor Scanner team revealed that the video does not depict a temple vandalism incident in Bangladesh. Instead, it shows the vandalism of the shrine of Ali Pagla in Sirajganj. Moreover, the footage is not from December 1 but dates back to August 29 of this year.
In the investigation, multiple keyframes of the video were reverse-searched, leading to a video published on August 29 by a Facebook page named Probashi Jibon. The visuals of this video are identical to those of the circulated video.
The caption of the video stated: “The holy shrine of Allah’s saint, Hazrat Baba Ali Pagla (R.), was vandalized. Location: 9th Ward, South Kumarpara Bari, Mansur Nagar, Kazipur, Sirajganj.”
In addition to this video, several other Facebook accounts also shared the vandalism scene on August 29, describing it as the vandalism of Ali Pagla’s shrine. Examples include this video, where the same claim about Ali Pagla’s shrine is made, and this video.
Relevant keyword searches led to a news report titled “Shrine of Ali Pagla Vandalized in Kazipur”, published on the website of mainstream media outlet Kalbela. The report is accessible here. According to the report: “Several local residents stated that on August 29, Golam Rabbani, the imam of the Shalgram Tamizuddin Bari Jame Mosque, and his associates vandalized the shrine of Ali Pagla in the Mansur Nagar Union of the upazila. The vandalism included damaging the shrine’s structure and hitting it with feet.”
The report further states that following the shrine vandalism incident in Kazipur, Sirajganj, villagers dismissed the mosque’s imam. It also includes a photograph of the vandalized shrine, which aligns with the visuals in the circulated video.
Additionally, similar reports about the vandalism of Ali Pagla’s shrine were found on the websites of mainstream media outlets, including Kaler Kantho and Bdnews24.
It is noteworthy that although the circulated video does not depict any temple vandalism, media sources reported recent incidents of attacks on temples in Chattogram. According to these reports, attacks on temples occurred in Patharghata of Chittagong City on Friday, November 29, and in Patiya Upazila on Thursday night, November 28.
Conclusion
The viral video purportedly showing the vandalism of a Hindu temple in Bangladesh is, in reality, footage of the vandalism of the Ali Pagla shrine in Sirajganj, which occurred on August 29. The depiction of the incident as temple vandalism is entirely false.
Sources
- Probashi Jibon – Facebook Post
- Kalbela – Shrine of Ali Pagla Vandalized in Kazipur
- Kaler Kantho – Attack and Vandalism at Ismail Pagla’s Shrine in Sirajganj
- Rumor Scanner’s Analysis
