Video from Bangladesh shared as protest over R.G. Kar rape-murder in West Bengal

What's the claim?

A one-minute aerial video depicting a large nighttime gathering illuminated by thousands of candles, accompanied by the song "Dhono Dhanno Pushpe Bhora" by Bengali poet Dwijendralal Ray, has been widely shared as footage of a candle march in Kolkata, West Bengal, following an incident of rape and murder at R.G. Kar Medical College on August 9, 2024.

The case, which has sparked statewide protests, saw citizens lighting candles and torches in demonstrations demanding justice. The video, posted on X (formerly Twitter), was accompanied by captions such as: "This is the Bengal That Was. This is the Brave Bengalis We Know. A million candles march in Kolkata for the RG Kar victim, standing FIRM against a Dictator CM #JusticeForRGKar #RGKarProtest #RGKARmedical." Archived versions of these posts can be found here, here, here, and here.

Screenshots of the X posts. (Source: X/Modified by Logically Facts)

On September 5, 2024, Amit Malviya, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) IT cell chief, shared the video, claiming it showed protests in West Bengal related to the R.G. Kar case. Although Malviya has since deleted the post, an archive is available here.

However, our investigation reveals that the video actually originates from Bangladesh, not West Bengal, and depicts a candlelight vigil for those killed during the recent unrest in Bangladesh.

What we found

A reverse image search of a screenshot from the viral video led us to a YouTube channel (archived here) where the same footage was posted on August 9, 2024, titled: "Candle lights in Uttara 🕯️✨A Tribute to the Martyrs, We love you.📍 9 August 2024."

Similarly, the video was also posted on Facebook (archived here) in August with captions like "Candle lights in Uttara: A Tribute to the Martyrs" and the same date, "August 9, 2024."

Screenshots of the videos posted on YouTube and Facebook and captioned as being from Uttara. (Source: YouTube/Facebook/Modified by Logically Facts)

Uttara, located in northern Dhaka, Bangladesh, is where the video was filmed. Further research identified the video’s uploader as Tamzid Islam Zihan, a drone photographer from Rajuk College Photography Club (RCPC) at Rajuk Uttara Model College in Dhaka. Zihan posted the video on Instagram and Facebook (archived here and here).

The video posted on Facebook by Tamzid Islam Zihan. (Source: Screenshot/Facebook)

We also found a Facebook post (archived here) by the Rajuk College Photography Club dated August 8, announcing the event scheduled for August 9 at the Uttara Friends Club Field, Sector 3, Dhaka. The post indicated that the gathering would honor those killed in the quota protests with a candlelight vigil.

Screenshot of the Facebook post by the Rajuk College Photography Club. (Source: Facebook)

The page shared footage from the vigil, which closely matches the visuals in the viral video. It shows a large nighttime gathering with lit candles and aerial shots of the crowd. An Instagram post from August 10 (archived here) was captioned: "Flames of remembrance for the fallen brave..."

Bangladesh-based media outlets NTV News and My Tv Bangladesh (archived here and here) reported on the candlelight tribute held at the Uttara Friends Club field, with footage of people gathered on August 9 evening. These videos, similar to those from the photography club, confirm the venue as the Friends Club field in Uttara.

Logically Facts contacted Zihan, who confirmed that the footage was recorded with a drone on August 9 at the field in Sector 3 of Uttara, Dhaka. "There was a candlelight rally in memory of those killed in the protests that day, which I filmed using my drone. The video was published on my Instagram account on August 9," he said.

While videos from the vigil show people singing "Dhono Dhanno Pushpe Bhora," Zihan confirmed that the audio in the viral clip was added later.

Situation in Bangladesh

The unrest in Bangladesh, which began in June, resulted in over 1,000 deaths, according to the interim health ministry chief on August 29. The violence stemmed from a student-led movement against government job quotas and escalated into an uprising against then-Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina. She resigned and fled to India on August 5, just before her residence was stormed by protesters. On August 7, Nobel laureate Mohammed Yunus was sworn in as the head of the interim government.

R.G. Kar protests

The first candlelight vigil in Kolkata for the R.G. Kar case was held on August 14. Therefore, the viral video, dated August 9, predates these protests.

On August 14, the 'Reclaim the Night' movement saw thousands of women marching across West Bengal, demanding justice for the R.G. Kar Medical College incident. The protests, inspired by the 'Reclaim the Night' movement that began in Leeds, England, in 1977, started at 11:55 p.m., coinciding with India's Independence Day celebrations.

The verdict

A video of a candlelight vigil in Bangladesh has been shared with the false claim that it depicts a protest in West Bengal following the R.G. Kar rape and murder case. Although candlelight vigils and protests have been held in West Bengal following the incident, this video actually shows a gathering held in memory of those who died in the Bangladesh unrest.