A video showing two women being assaulted with chairs has recently been circulated by several India-based X (formerly Twitter) accounts. It is being claimed that the video depicts an attack on two Muslim girls in Bangladesh for failing to wear Burqas and Hijabs.
See the posts shared on X with these claims here, here, and here.
Fact-check
Rumor Scanner’s investigation reveals that the circulated video does not depict an attack on two Muslim girls for not wearing Burqas or Hijabs. Rather, it shows an incident from December 16 at a Victory Fair (Bijoy Mela) in Chattogram, where two women were assaulted following an argument over the order of food service.
During the investigation, avideo report was found on the Facebook page of the satellite channel ‘Bangla TV’, published on December 19. The report contains the same footage being shared with the false claim. According to eyewitnesses and police cited in the report, the Chattogram District Administration organized a three-day Victory Fair at the CRB Shirishtala area to mark Victory Day. The incident occurred on the night of December 16. The victims shown in the video had traveled to the fair from the Patenga area of Chattogram city. An altercation broke out with a man at a mobile food stall over who was being served food first, which subsequently escalated into a physical fight.
Further keyword searches led to a report published on the website of the national daily Prothom Alo on December 18, which included screenshots from the viral video. The Prothom Alo report corroborates the information provided by Bangla TV, stating that the incident took place on December 16 at the Victory Fair in the CRB area of Chattogram. The district administration had organized the fair from December 14 to 16, attracting thousands of visitors. Several fights broke out at various stalls due to arguments over the order of food service.
When asked about the matter, Abu Sayed, the In-charge of the CRB Police Outpost, told Prothom Alo that the two women came to the outpost after the incident and filed a verbal complaint. However, when police arrived at the scene, no suspects were found. The two women then left the area. He confirmed that several altercations had occurred that day due to the massive crowds.
Additionally, reports from other news outlets provide the same details. None of the reports mention any connection to the women not wearing Hijabs or Burqas.
Therefore, a video of an assault triggered by an argument over food service at a Victory Fair in Chattogram on December 16 is being circulated as an attack on women for not wearing Hijabs or Burqas; the claim is misleading.
Sources
- Bangla TV: Facebook Post
- Prothom Alo: A youth brutally beats two women with a chair at a fair; video goes viral
- Bangladesh Pratidin: Video of two women being beaten publicly in Chattogram goes viral
- Rumor Scanner’s Analysis