Authors
Pankaj Menon is a fact-checker based out of Delhi who enjoys ‘digital sleuthing’ and calling out misinformation. He has completed his MA in International Relations from Madras University and has worked with organisations like NDTV, Times Now and Deccan Chronicle online in the past.
Claim: A drone footage of the second ‘Raat Dhakhal’ program, organised in Kolkata on September 4, 2024, demanding justice for the trainee doctor who was raped and killed in Kolkata’s R G Kar medical college & hospital.
Fact: The drone footage is from Bangladesh and has no link with the protest rally organised in Kolkata on September 4, demanding justice for the R G Kar case.
After August 14, citizens across West Bengal once again hit the street in large numbers on September 4, 2024 to register their protest with the ‘Raat Dhakhal’ program demanding justice for the rape and murder of a trainee doctor at Kolkata’s R G Kar Medical College and Hospital. The capital city was plunged into darkness as all the lights were turned off, and ordinary people took to the streets holding candles, demanding justice for ‘Abhaya/Tilottama’, as the victim in the case has since come to be known.
Following the protest, an aerial footage showing a huge crowd holding a candlelight vigil, is going viral on social media. Users sharing the video are claiming that the video showed the turnout for the protest. One such user, Debjit Sarkar wrote, “History has been created! The people of entire Kolkata took to the streets today. It is impossible to stop this movement until Tilottama gets justice.” Sarkar’s post clocked 2,500 retweets and over 1,42,000 till the time of this report.
Many other users also shared the same video with similar claims on X.
Many users shared the same video on Facebook as well, as can be seen here and here.
Fact Check/ Verification
A reverse image search of a keyframe of the viral video revealed that the same video was posted on Facebook on August 9, 2024, with the caption, “Candlelight vigil Uttara”, by a Facebook user named Tamzid Islam Zihan. The profile shows that he may be a resident of Uttara, Dhaka, Bangladesh.
The same video was also posted on a YouTube channel named ANICUR ROHOMAN M, titled in Bangla, “In remembrance of the martyrs today candle lighting in Uttara! We will not forget you.”
Taking a clue, we ran a keyword search, which let us to two news reports published on the official YouTube channels of My TV Bangladesh and NTV News on August 9 and 10, respectively. As per the reports, ordinary citizens in Uttara, Dhaka, Bangladesh, joined the protest by lighting candles in remembrance of the martyrs of the student movement.
On the other hand, the rape and murder of a female doctor at RG Kar Hospital was first reported on August 9, confirming that the video was not linked to the protests that arose after the case.
Conclusion
Thus it is clear that the drone footage is from Bangladesh and has no link with the second ‘Raat Dhakhal’ program which has been organised in West Bengal demanding justice for the rape and murder of a female doctor at Kolkata’s R G Kar Medical College and Hospital.
Result: False
Sources
Video by Tamzid Islam Zihan, Dated August 9, 2024
Video by My TV Bangladesh, Dated August 9, 2024
Video by NTV News, dated August 10, 2024
If you would like us to fact-check a claim, give feedback or lodge a complaint, WhatsApp us at 9999499044 or email us at checkthis@newschecker.in. You can also visit the Contact Us page and fill out the form. Follow our WhatsApp channel for more updates.
Authors
Pankaj Menon is a fact-checker based out of Delhi who enjoys ‘digital sleuthing’ and calling out misinformation. He has completed his MA in International Relations from Madras University and has worked with organisations like NDTV, Times Now and Deccan Chronicle online in the past.
