Hindus given ultimatum to leave Bangladesh within 7 days? No, video is edited!

What's the claim?

A video is circulating on social media, claiming that Muslims in Bangladesh have given Hindus 'an ultimatum' to leave the country within seven days.

In the approximately one-minute video, a man seated on stage states in Bengali: "I want to create awareness. If we need to get onto the streets again for their trial, we will protest again. They are still plotting; I don’t know if you know. Sometimes in the name of Hindus, sometimes in the name of minorities, sometimes in the name of Chittagong, sometimes at the Chittagong Press Club, and so-called journalists. I want to alert them: do not waste time; fold your tail and leave the country. Leave immediately. Your fathers and brothers have left, and Sheikh Hasina has left the country."

He continues, "I warn you. I give you one week of ultimatum. After that, I will start making you pay. As long as I live, I will make you sorry." The video concludes with the crowd chanting Islamic slogans.

On X (formerly Twitter), the video has been shared with captions such as: "Hindus are being given an ultimatum of 7 days to leave Bangladesh. The radical Maulana is saying, 'Your fathers are gone, your aunts are scared, you too go away.' #HinduGenocideInBangladesh #SaveBangladeshiHindus #HindusUnderAttackInBangladesh."

Archived versions of some posts can be found here, here, here, here, and here.

Screenshots of the viral claim. (Source: X/Screenshot/Modified by Logically Facts)

The narrative has also been shared on Facebook; an archived post can be found here.

On September 30, 2024, Asianet, an Indian Malayalam media outlet, reported on the viral video, claiming that a leader warned the Hindu community in Bangladesh to leave within seven days or face extermination.

A screenshot of the Asianet news report. (Source: Asianet /Screenshot/Modified by Logically Facts)

However, we found that the viral video is an edited segment of Bangladeshi activist Saifuddin Mohammad Amdad’s speech, which is being shared with a misleading communal narrative. Amdad was actually targeting supporters and members of the Awami League, the political party that was in power until the protests of 2024.

What did we find?

The speaker in the viral video is Saifuddin Mohammad Amdad, a Bangladeshi activist who lost vision in one eye after being shot near police lines in Chittagong on August 5, 2024, during quota reform protests that eventually led to the Sheikh Hasina-led government’s downfall.

A Google search revealed a full video of Amdad’s speech, recorded from a different angle and uploaded to YouTube (archived here) on September 28, 2024. The video, titled in Bengali, translates to "Emdad Bhai's speech at the commemoration and cultural evening for the martyred families and fighters of the July Revolution." The event took place at Shirish Tala, CRB, Chittagong, and was organized by a social organization called Bikiron.

The viral clip appears from the 5:56 to 7:00 mark of this longer video. However, just before this segment, at 4:36, Amdad expresses his frustration: "Even now, they are everywhere in the streets and gullies. Why are they still roaming around openly? I want the answer! How do they dare? These people who openly carry arms at Bahaddarhat in Chittagong and fire on students at New Market—why are they still free? Where is the police administration? Where is my nation going? Why isn’t our Army, empowered to deal with this, doing its job? Will I have to start another revolution? Will I have to drag my ailing body onto the streets again? Will I have to pick up weapons again, lead protests again, shout slogans again? I do not want to oppose again; I want to see these murderers behind bars as soon as possible."

The viral segment begins at the 5:56 timestamp. Upon listening to the entire speech, it becomes clear that Amdad was specifically targeting members and supporters of the Awami League in Bangladesh. He accused them of concealing their true identities under the guise of Hindus, minorities, and journalists while allegedly plotting against the nation.

On October 4, Amdad addressed the false claims regarding his speech in a Facebook post (archived here), stating in Bengali that he did not issue an ultimatum for Hindus to leave the country. Instead, his remarks were directed at those who attacked students during the protests. He urged listeners to consider his words carefully, emphasizing that he warned conspirators to be cautious or flee the country like Hasina, as their ancestors had done.

Moreover, Amdad posted again on Facebook (archived here), this time in English, to debunk the viral claim that "Hindus are being given an ultimatum to leave the country within seven days." He stated this is false, adding, "The statement was not against Hindus; it was against the previous regime/government and its associates who attacked protesters." His post included screenshots of the misleading claims.

He explained that during his speech at the "July Remembrance and Cultural Evening" organized by Bikiron in Chittagong, he highlighted the presence of "henchmen of the autocracy" who had been attacking students. Amdad noted that the term "Hindu" was used in the context of various protests where the Awami League was referred to as "Hindus," which may have created communal tensions.

The verdict

The speaker in the video is Saifuddin Mohammad Amdad, also known as Emdad Babu, a leader of the students' movement. The clip is a cropped segment of Amdad's speech about Awami League members, not Hindus, and is being shared out of context.