Written by The Banking Post
Protest and blockade programs have been continuing in Bhanga of Faridpur for some days, demanding the reinstatement of the parliamentary seat.
On September 15, this blockade program turned violent.
The agitated crowd attacked and vandalised the premises of Bhanga Police Station and Upazila Parishad, and also set fire to the Upazila Officers’ Club.
In this context, a video titled “Yesterday the tender-hearted aidh dhamra set fire to Bhanga Circuit House, I, of course, stand with both sides! But I wonder when they will burn Jamuna like this.! That day I will stand with the tender-hearted students!!” has been circulated on social media.
In the circulated video, smoke can be seen billowing from a building.
Fact-check
Rumor Scanner’s investigation found that the video of the fire in the building is not of Bhanga Circuit House in Faridpur, and no incident of arson took place at Bhanga Circuit House. In fact, it is a video of protesters setting fire to the residence of Nepal’s former Prime Minister Sharma Oli.
At the beginning of the investigation, some key frames of the video were reverse-searched, leading to a video attached to a post published on September 9 by the Indian media outlet Press Trust of India on its X account. The circulated video matches the one shared with the discussed claim.
The post stated that protesters set fire to the residence of Nepal’s former Prime Minister K.P. Sharma Oli in Kathmandu. A day earlier, amid massive demonstrations against alleged corruption, Nepal’s Prime Minister Oli resigned.
Further investigation, through a report published on September 9 on the website of the international news agency Reuters, revealed that angry youths forced Nepal’s Prime Minister K.P. Sharma Oli to resign that day. In this anti-corruption movement, they defied a curfew, took to the streets, and clashed with police. The previous day, in the first phase of the protests, 19 people were killed. The movement began with the government’s decision to ban social media. When protesters attempted to enter Parliament, police fired tear gas and rubber bullets. The government was then forced to lift the ban, but by that time 19 people had lost their lives and at least 100 others had been injured.
In other words, the video of the fire is not from Bhanga Circuit House.
Therefore, a video of protesters setting fire to the residence of Nepal’s former prime minister has been circulated with the false claim that it shows an incident at Bhanga Circuit House in Faridpur.
Sources:
- Press Trust of India – X Post
- Reuters – Young anti-corruption protesters oust Nepal PM Oli
