Video of Bangladesh govt college principal resigning given false communal spin

What is the claim?

A 52-second video showing a woman signing a document surrounded by a group of people, followed by celebrations, has been circulated with the claim that it depicts a Hindu government official being coerced into resigning amid unrest in Bangladesh.

A user on X (formerly Twitter) shared the video with a Hindi caption: “Islamic terrorists in #Bangladesh are now forcing Hindu government officials and employees to write resignation, Hindus will only clean toilets (sic).”

The post used the hashtags #HindusUnderAttack, #SaveHindusInBangladesh, #GenocideOfHindus, #HinduGenocideInBangladesh, and #AllEyesonBangladeshHindus. Similar claims can be viewed here and here.

Screenshots of the claim on social media. (Source: X/ Modified by Logically Facts)

Contrary to the claim, however, the video actually shows Professor Amena Begum, principal of Kabi Nazrul Government College in Bangladesh, resigning—not a Hindu government official.

What we found

Several responses to the viral post on X (archived here) identified the woman in the video as Amena Begum. Their claims were supported by screenshots of news reports with the headline: "Amena Begum, Principal of Kabi Nazrul College Resigned."

A Google search led us to a report published on August 11, 2024, by the Bangladeshi news outlet JagoNews24. The report featured the same image of the woman at a desk surrounded by people. The news report states that Professor Begum, principal of Kabi Nazrul Government College, resigned following student protests over alleged discrimination.

According to the report, a student involved in the protests claimed that Begum failed to address the injuries and deaths of students during the recent unrest in Bangladesh. The report also alleged “irregularities and corruption” within the college under her leadership, as she was reportedly affiliated with the Awami League. A comparison between the image in the report and the now-viral video confirms that they depict the same scene.

A comparison of a frame from the viral video and the JagoNews24 report shows the same woman surrounded by the same group of people. (Source: X/ JagoNews24) 

A reverse image search of keyframes from the video also led us to reports by Bangladeshi outlets Swadesh Pratidin, Kalbela, and DhakaPost, which included images of the same woman and her resignation letter. 

Image showing Professor Amena Begum and her resignation letter. (Source: Swadesh Pratidin)

The college’s Facebook page, ‘Kabi Nazrul Govt. College KNGC কবি নজরুল সরকারি কলেজ,’ has posted (archived here) the former principal’s image. The caption, in Bangla, identifies her as “Amena Begum, a member of Awami League's sub-committee (2022-2025) on Education and Human Resources sub-committee.”

Logically Facts has contacted the college for a comment and will update this report upon receiving a response.

Current unrest in Bangladesh

The unrest in Bangladesh, which began in June 2024, has resulted in at least 560 deaths as of August 12. This includes approximately five reported deaths among minority communities, including Hindus. The protests began over job quotas for descendants of freedom fighters and evolved into broader anti-government demonstrations.

On August 8, 2024, Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus assumed leadership of the interim government following the ousting of Sheikh Hasina as prime minister.

The verdict

The video showing Amena Begum, a principal in Bangladesh, resigning in the wake of student protests was misleadingly presented as evidence of Hindu government officials being coerced to resign. There is no communal angle to this issue.