Fact Check: Hindu Dalit woman’s house was not burned in WB riots; the incident occurred in Bangladesh
Violence broke out on April 11 during protests against the Waqf (Amendment) Act, leaving three people dead and dozens
Claim :
Viral video shows a Hindu Dalit woman whose house has been burned down during the riots in West Bengal in April 2025 against the Waqf Amendment Act 2025Fact :
The video is not related to West Bengal, it shows visuals of fire accident in a slum in Chittagong, Bangladesh
Violence broke out on April 11 during protests against the Waqf (Amendment) Act, leaving three people dead and dozens injured in West Bengal. Homes and businesses were damaged, and many residents have been displaced, with some seeking shelter in relief camps in Malda, while others have migrated to Jharkhand’s Pakur district. The Kolkata High Court ordered the deployment of central forces to bring the situation under control in Murshidabad. After the incident, a helpline for the soldiers has been set up with the Corps of Military Police (CMP) Unit at the Nabagram Cantonment. Nabagram, a relatively new cantonment, is part of the Murshidabad District. The West Bengal government had released about 250 acres of land in 2014 for the construction of the military station.
Amidst this situation, a video showing women crying and speaking Bengali with the reporters is in circulation. The video also shows burning houses. This video is in circulation with the caption in Telugu “ఒక దళిత సోదరి ఇల్లు కాల్చేసారు. దళిత (SC) కాలనీ మొత్తం దహనం చేశారు. దహనం చేయబోయే ముందు ఇళ్ళు మొత్తం లూటీ చేశారు. బంగారం, డబ్బు, బియ్యం, సరుకులు దేన్ని వదలలేదు!* ఇంకా కక్ష తీరక మొత్తం కాలనీ అగ్నికి ఆహుతి చేశారు.. *ఇస్లాం లోకి మతం మారు లేదా జిజియా పన్ను కట్టమని అల్టిమేటం. ఇదీ పశ్చిమ బెంగాల్ హిందువుల దారుణ పరిస్తితి.* మణిపూర్, ఉత్తర ప్రదేశ్ గురించి మాట్లాడిన, ప్రదర్శనలు చేసిన ఏ కుక్క ఇప్పుడు మాట్లాడటం లేదు. ఎందుకంటే అక్కడ నాశనం అవుతున్నది హిందువులు కనుక. *పశ్చిమ బెంగాల్ హిందువులను రక్షించండి* నమో భారత్”
Here is the archive link of the Claim.
Fact Check:
The claim is Misleading. The video is not related to West Bengal. It shows visuals from a fire accident that occurred in Chittagong, Bangladesh.
When we extracted the keyframes from the viral video and searched using Google reverse image search, we found several YouTube videos shared with the title ‘Fire accident in Chattogram’.
When we searched further, we found a few news reports about the fire accident. According to The Business Standard, a fire gutted 14 makeshift and semi-permanent houses at the Goalpara slum in Chattogram's CRB area early on April 15. The blaze started around 5:30 am, according to Anwar Hossain, assistant director of Chattogram Fire Service and Civil Defence.
After receiving the call, five firefighting units rushed to the scene and brought the flames under control by 8 am, he said. Initial reports suggest the fire originated from an electrical short circuit. The incident caused an estimated loss of (Tk16 lakh, while firefighters were able to save assets worth Tk48 lakh, What are these figures?) according to the Fire Service. No casualties have been reported so far, said the assistant director.
According to observerbd, at least 20 slum houses were destroyed after a fire broke out at CRB Malipara slum under Kotwali Police station in Chattogram. Most of the slum dwellers were asleep when the flames erupted and as a result, they were unable to save any belongings from their homes. Preliminary reports suggest the fire may have originated from a gas cylinder. No casualties have been reported so far.
Therefore, the viral video showing houses under fire and women crying is not related to the protests that took place in Murshidabad, West Bengal. The claim is Misleading.
