Video of deaths by electrocution shared claiming ‘attack on Hindus’ in Bangladesh

(Trigger warning: The check may contain distressing visuals and descriptions. Reader discretion is advised.)

What is the claim?

A 1:23 minute distressing video of people crying with bodies lying around has been shared with the claim that it shows Hindus killed in Bangladesh amid the ongoing unrest. In the video, we can see scores of dead bodies lying in front of a building and people crying, consoling others. 

A Facebook user shared this video (archived here) claiming that while Hindus are “being hacked to death and raped in Bangladesh,” those in India are in "deep slumber." Archives of similar posts can be accessed here and here. 

Screenshot of the social media post (Source: Facebook/Modified by Logically Facts)

However, though the people in the video are Hindus, they died by electrocution during a rathyatra (a festival where devotees walk with a chariot carrying an idol of a Hindu god) in Bangladesh. 

What did we find?

The video has the logo of Sirajganj Express in the top left corner, and we found its account on Facebook. The page lists itself as a “Media/news company” based in Sirajganj, Bangladesh. This account shared the now-viral video (archived here) on July 7, 2024, with the caption, in Bengali, “5 killed, at least 30 injured during a Rathyatra in Bogura.” Bogura is a city in North Bangladesh.

We then ran the video's keyframes through the reverse image search and found other reports corroborating the incident. 

According to a report in Dhaka BD News 24, a Bangladeshi news outlet, five people were killed and around 50 injured by electrocution during a Jagannath Ratha Yatra in Bogura in the afternoon of July 7. The report identified the deceased as Alok, Atashi, Rajinta, Naresh, and Sabita.

A report published by Bangladesh Sangabad Sanstha (BSS), the country’s government-owned news agency, has the same visuals as seen in the now viral video. It reports that the injured were shifted to nearby hospitals where five people died during treatment. 

A Dhaka Tribune report stated that the incident happened when the chariot's metal dome came in contact with a high-voltage wire overhead and caught fire. 

While there are reports of attacks on Hindus in Bangladesh, this video is not of an attack on them but rather an accident in early July.

The ongoing unrest in Bangladesh

• As of August 12, 2024, more than 450 people have been killed in Bangladesh following the violent protest.
• On August 8, Nobel Laureate Mohammed Yunus was sworn in as the head of the interim government in Bangladesh after Sheikh Hasina resigned as prime minister and left the country on August 5.  
• The ongoing unrest in Bangladesh is attributed to the quota reform movement, which began in June 2024 with protesters calling for nationwide civil disobedience and the resignation of Prime Minister Hasina and her cabinet.

The verdict

A video of people crying over dead bodies of Hindu devotees who died in an electrocution accident during a festival is falsely shared as Hindus killed in an targeted attack in Bangladesh.

Logically Facts has been actively debunking misinformation around Bangladesh violence. You can read our fact-checks here.