Fact Check: Video from Bangladesh FALSELY shared as bulldozer action in Bengal
India Today Fact Check found that the video shows a recent anti-encroachment drive in Jashore, Bangladesh.
India Today Fact Check
The newly elected Bharatiya Janata Party government in West Bengal conducted a massive anti-encroachment drive outside Howrah Railway Station on May 17. Bulldozers reportedly demolished rows of makeshift shops and illegal structures.
A video that’s now being widely shared allegedly shows more such drives in the state. In the video, a hijab-clad woman can be seen crying as a bulldozer demolishes a house. Text inside the video said, “26 Illegal structures demolished, owners left in tears.” Sharing the video, an Instagram user wrote, “Bulldozer Action in West Bengal.”
India Today Fact Check found that the video is not from India at all! It shows an anti-encroachment drive in Jashore, Bangladesh.
OUR PROBE
Reverse-searching keyframes from the video led us to a Bangladeshi Instagram account that shared the clip on May 10. The post stated that 26 illegal structures were demolished in Jashore, Bangladesh.
A keyword search led us to the longer version of the video that the Bangladeshi news outlet DBC News shared on May 10. Reportedly, homeowners broke down in tears after 26 illegal structures were demolished in Jashore, Bangladesh.
Several other Bangladesh-based news outlets and YouTube channels like the Bangladesh Somoy, R24 Bangla TV, and Dhaka Watch shared the video on May 10, reporting the demolition of illegal structures in Jashore.
The Dhaka Tribune and The Ittefaq reported on May 12 that during the two-day eviction drive in Jessore, the National Housing Authority demolished more than 400 illegal structures — unauthorised houses, shops, factories, and political offices — and recovered about five acres of government land.
Thus, we concluded that the video shows an anti-encroachment drive in Jashore, Bangladesh, not West Bengal.
The newly elected Bharatiya Janata Party government in West Bengal conducted a massive anti-encroachment drive outside Howrah Railway Station on May 17. Bulldozers reportedly demolished rows of makeshift shops and illegal structures.
A video that’s now being widely shared allegedly shows more such drives in the state. In the video, a hijab-clad woman can be seen crying as a bulldozer demolishes a house. Text inside the video said, “26 Illegal structures demolished, owners left in tears.” Sharing the video, an Instagram user wrote, “Bulldozer Action in West Bengal.”
India Today Fact Check found that the video is not from India at all! It shows an anti-encroachment drive in Jashore, Bangladesh.
OUR PROBE
Reverse-searching keyframes from the video led us to a Bangladeshi Instagram account that shared the clip on May 10. The post stated that 26 illegal structures were demolished in Jashore, Bangladesh.
A keyword search led us to the longer version of the video that the Bangladeshi news outlet DBC News shared on May 10. Reportedly, homeowners broke down in tears after 26 illegal structures were demolished in Jashore, Bangladesh.
Several other Bangladesh-based news outlets and YouTube channels like the Bangladesh Somoy, R24 Bangla TV, and Dhaka Watch shared the video on May 10, reporting the demolition of illegal structures in Jashore.
The Dhaka Tribune and The Ittefaq reported on May 12 that during the two-day eviction drive in Jessore, the National Housing Authority demolished more than 400 illegal structures — unauthorised houses, shops, factories, and political offices — and recovered about five acres of government land.
Thus, we concluded that the video shows an anti-encroachment drive in Jashore, Bangladesh, not West Bengal.