Indian media uses image of attack on Prothom Alo office to claim attacks on Hindus in Bangladesh

Recently, some Indian media outlets published reports regarding attacks on the Hindu community in Bangladesh and circulated an image to illustrate the attacks. Reports published in Indian media with such claims include: The Times of India and WION.

The reports published by these media outlets claim the image in question is related to attacks on members of the Hindu community.

Fact-check

The Rumor Scanner team’s investigation found that the circulated image has no connection to any attacks on the Hindu community in Bangladesh. In reality, the image shows scenes from an attack on the office of the national daily Prothom Alo on December 19, following the death of Osman Hadi.

An investigation into the image found a report published on December 19, 2025, on the website of the US-based media outlet ‘AP’. The report contains six images, and the fifth image matches exactly with the image circulated in the discussed claim. The caption for the photo states: “Bangladesh army soldiers stand guard at the premises of Prothom Alo daily newspaper after angry protesters set it on fire following the news of the death of prominent activist Sharif Osman Hadi in Singapore reached Bangladesh, in Dhaka, Friday, Dec. 19, 2025.”. It was also mentioned that the image is an AP photo.

Additionally, photos showing the aftermath of the attack on the Prothom Alo office were found on the Prothom Alo website, where the structures shown match the image in the viral claim. This confirms that the circulated image depicts the attack on the national daily Prothom Alo’s office.

Subsequently, a statement from Prothom Alo regarding the attack on its office was found on its website dated December 19. Regarding this, Prothom Alo stated: “On the night of 18 December, the office of Prothom Alo located in Karwan Bazar, Dhaka, was the victim of a motivated and organized attack… On the same night, the office of The Daily Star was also subjected to terrorist attacks, vandalism, and arson. There are reasonable grounds to believe that a vested interest group planned these attacks by capitalizing on the tragic death of Sharif Osman Hadi…”.

It is noteworthy that Inquilab Mancha spokesperson Osman Hadi passed away around 9:45 PM on December 18.

Therefore, the image of the attack on the national daily Prothom Alo office on December 19, following the death of Osman Hadi, has been circulated in reports alleging attacks on the Hindu community in Bangladesh, which is misleading.

Sources

• AP News: Protesters storm offices of leading Bangladesh dailies after a 2024 uprising activist dies
• Prothom Alo: Prothom Alo’s statement on the attack on its office
• Rumor Scanner’s Analysis