Old video of students’ protest shared as ‘Hindu girls tied up’ in Bangladesh

(Trigger Warning: This story contains mentions of suicide and sexual harassment. Reader discretion is advised.)

What's the claim?

A 30-second video of a girl in a green outfit sitting on the ground with her mouth taped and hands tied is circulating on social media with a claim that this is how 'Hindu girls' are being treated in Bangladesh amid the ongoing unrest, which began with protests over a quota reservation system and escalated into violence.

One of the captions with which the video was shared read, "Hindu Women in Bangladesh! They are being Raped and Killed! Hindus are staring at a Genocide in Bangladesh. These images and videos make you feel so helpless! (sic)." The post garnered over one million views. Another one stated, "Welcome to Bangladesh, where Hindu girls are tied up on the streets. The western media is mute.” It included the hashtag #HinduGenocideInBangladesh. Archived versions of such posts can be viewed here, here, here, and here.

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

However, this video is from March 2024. It shows a student staging a protest at Shanto Chattar, Jagannath University, in Dhaka, demanding punishment for those who allegedly instigated the suicide of Fairooz Abantika, another university student.

What are the facts?

On conducting a reverse image search, we found the same video posted by a Facebook account JnU Short Stories  (archived here) on July 26, 2024. 

Screenshot of the Facebook post by JnU Short Stories posted on July 26, 2024. (Source: Facebook)

The post, originally in Bengali, mentioned that the woman was a student of the 2021-22 batch of Jagannath University, and that the scene was from a street play staged some time back in protest against the death by suicide of a student, Abantika.

Referring to the video, the post said that several people linked it to the protests in Bangladesh and misidentified the girl as a leader of the Chhatra League, the student wing of the Bangladesh Awami League. It added that she is experiencing trauma because of such posts. It urged everyone to stand by her, report the video, and stop the rumor by sharing the post as widely as possible.

We also found that Fairooz Sadaf Abantika, a post-graduate law student at Jagannath University in Bangladesh, died by suicide on March 15, 2024. Before her death, she accused a fellow student named Amman of sexual harassment and alleged that the university’s Assistant Proctor Din Islam defended Amman and even threatened to expel her. Both of them were subsequently arrested by the police.

Abantika's suicide sparked protests within the university community. Students organized torch processions, lit candles, and performed street plays on campus to demand justice for her. This video is a part of one such demonstration. 

Geolocating the video

We then checked Google Maps and found photos from the university that resembled the viral video. We noticed that a grey structure with a signpost, which also appeared in the background of the viral video.

Comparison of a screenshot from the viral video with an image of Jagannath University in Dhaka, as found on Google Maps. (Source: X/Google Maps) 

Additionally, we found another video of this protest shared by the Bangladeshi media outlet Somoy National on its YouTube channel (archived here) posted on March 18, with a title that suggested the demonstration was in support of Abantika.

In this video, at the 1: 31 second timestamp, the woman from the viral video appears alongside others, some of whom are also seen with tape over their mouths, participating in the protest.

Screenshot from the YouTube video by Somoy National highlighting the woman seen in the viral video alongside other students. (Source: YouTube/ Modified by Logically Facts)

Another video by Channel 24 News (archived here), a news channel in Bangladesh, shows the girl (at 1:19 seconds) in the viral video.  

The verdict

The video of a protest at a Bangladesh university in March is being shared with a false claim that it is shows the condition of a 'Hindu woman' amid the ongoing unrest. 

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