No, This Video Does Not Show a Sanatani Being Driven From Home in Bangladesh

The Indian Assembly elections are set to begin this month, with West Bengal holding elections in two phases on April 23 and 29. In this context, a video is being circulated on social media claiming that Bangladeshis are coercing an individual to leave his home because of his Sanatani (Hindu) identity.

View the relevant Facebook posts here, here, and here.

Fact-Check

An investigation by the Rumor Scanner team reveals that the individual in the video is not Hindu; his name is Md. Mintu. In reality, on April 4, a local BNP leader in Barisal caught a drug dealer named Md. Mintu red-handed with narcotics. Footage of that specific event is being shared in various Indian groups, framed with a communal narrative.

The same video was found on the Facebook page of the online news outlet Rising BD during this investigation. A review of the video confirms it depicts the punishment of a young man for alleged drug involvement in Barisal.

Further research uncovered a detailed account of the incident in a post by Rafik Sarder, a local leader of the Volunteers Party (Swechchhasebak Dal). He stated that on April 4, in Ward No. 5 of Banaripara Sadar Union, Barisal, the General Secretary of Banaripara Upazila BNP, Riaz Ahmed Mridha, apprehended a known drug dealer named Mintu with drugs in his possession. At that time, an angry mob confronted the dealer.

According to local media outlets in Barisal (Times of Barisal and Barishaler Khobor Digital), the accused individual’s full name is Md. Mintu.

Therefore, the individual is not Hindu, and this is not an incident of forced eviction from a home.

In conclusion, the claim that a Sanatani is being forced to leave their home in Bangladesh is false.

Sources

• Rafik Sarder: Facebook Post