Video of vandalism at Bangladesh police office viral as 'mob attack on Hindus'

What is the claim?

A video showing a group vandalizing a building while a crowd looks on has gone viral, falsely claiming it depicts an attack on Hindus in Bangladesh.

On X (formerly Twitter), a user shared the video with the caption: “Such attacks are happening on Hindus of Bangladesh. Hindus are still being targeted by Bangladeshi fundamentalists. The brutality continues, with Hindus being forced to jump from rooftops to their deaths,” and included the hashtag #SaveHindus. 

The post has been shared over 6,000 times and garnered more than 7,000 likes. Archived versions of this post and similar claims are available here, here, here, and here.

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

However, the viral video is being circulated with a false claim. It actually shows an attack on the Detective Branch (DB) office of the Bangladesh Police in Dhaka on August 5, 2024, and not an attack on members of the Hindu community.

What did we find? 

A reverse image search of frames from the video led us to a similar clip uploaded on August 6, 2024, to the YouTube channel 'Shah Alam Sagar' (archived here). Titled "Dismantling the DB Office!" in Bangla, the video features a sign reading 'Bangladesh Police.'

A comparison of the viral video and the YouTube video. (Source: X/YouTube)

Additional videos on Facebook, documenting arson in front of the building, were also found. A video shared on August 5, 2024 (archived here), identifies the building as the Keraniganj DB office. Another post on Facebook (archived here), dated August 6, states the video shows the Keraniganj DB office being vandalized.

Google Maps confirmed the building as the Detective Branch (DB) South office in Keraniganj, Dhaka. The structure seen on Google Street View matches the one in the viral video. The Detective Branch is a division of the Bangladesh Police.

The building from the viral video, as seen on Google Street View. (Source: Google Street View) 

Further investigation by Logically Facts involved contacting local journalist Rana Ahmed in Dhaka, who confirmed that the building's ground floor was used for commercial purposes, while the upper floors housed a police office attacked by a mob on August 5. We also reached out to the owner of Fitness Gym World, located directly across from the DB office, and will update this report once we receive a response.

It is worth noting that following Sheikh Hasina’s resignation as Prime Minister on August 5 and her subsequent flight from Bangladesh, reports of vandalism and arson at police stations have surged across Dhaka and other districts.

Unrest in Bangladesh

The UN Human Rights Office recently reported approximately 650 deaths related to the unrest in Bangladesh, which began as student protests against a quota system and evolved into broader anti-government demonstrations.

Reports of attacks on Hindus in Bangladesh prompted assurances from Muhammad Yunus, who assumed leadership of the country after Sheikh Hasina stepped down in early August 2024. Former Prime Minister Hasina now faces 33 legal cases, including 27 related to murder, following violent crackdowns during her time in office.

The verdict

The viral video actually shows an attack on the Detective Branch South office of the Bangladesh Police, not an assault on the Hindu community.

Logically Facts has been actively refuting misinformation about the Bangladesh violence. You can read our fact-checks here.

(Translated by Vanita Ganesh)