Recently, a video has been circulated on social media platform X (formerly Twitter) from multiple Indian accounts, claiming that “a group of Muslims is tying a temple elephant’s legs with chains and beating it with sticks.”
See the posts shared on X (Twitter) with this claim here (Archive), here (Archive), here (Archive), here (Archive), and here (Archive).
Fact-Check
An investigation by the Rumor Scanner team revealed that the video does not depict a Muslim individual tying a temple elephant’s legs with chains and beating it. Instead, it is footage from a different incident that occurred in 2024.
During the investigation, the team found a report titled “No One Came to Save the Elephant Subjected to Cruel Torture in Cumilla,” published on August 28, 2024, on the YouTube channel of the national daily The Daily Star.
According to the report, on the morning of August 26, 2024, in front of the Fire Service and Civil Defense Station in Daudkandi Upazila, Cumilla, a mahout and his assistant tortured an elephant. Footage of the incident subsequently spread across social media. Cumilla District Forest Officer G.M. Mohammad Kabir stated that after seeing the video, a team was deployed to locate the elephant and its mahout in different upazilas of Cumilla. A special team was also dispatched from Dhaka.
Later, a news report published on August 31, 2024, on bdnews24 titled “The Tortured Elephant Found Shelter in Gazipur Safari Park” confirmed that the elephant was rescued from the Sonai Ullah area in Muradnagar Upazila, Cumilla. However, the mahouts had escaped and could not be apprehended. After its rescue, the elephant was relocated to Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Safari Park in Gazipur.
The report further revealed that three mahouts used the elephant for extorting money by making it roam around shops. While collecting money, the elephant suddenly became aggressive and caused damage to several shops in Daudkandi. To regain control, the mahouts tied its legs with chains and began beating it.
Later, an online news report published on August 31, 2024, on the website of bdnews24 titled “The Tortured Elephant Found Shelter in Gazipur Safari Park“ confirmed that the elephant was rescued from Sonai Ullah area in Muradnagar Upazila, Cumilla. However, the mahouts had escaped and could not be apprehended. After the rescue, the elephant was relocated to Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Safari Park in Gazipur. The report further revealed that three mahouts used the elephant for extorting money by roaming around shops. While collecting money, the elephant suddenly became aggressive and wreaked havoc in several shops in Daudkandi. To regain control, the mahouts tied its legs with chains and began beating it.
Conclusion
The video falsely claims Muslims tortured a temple elephant, but it actually shows mahouts mistreating an elephant in Cumilla, Bangladesh. This claim is misleading.
Sources
- Rumor Scanner’s Own Investigation
- The Daily Star – “No One Came to Save the Elephant Subjected to Cruel Torture in Cumilla”
- bdnews24 – “The Tortured Elephant Found Shelter in Gazipur Safari Park”
