Authors
A post-graduate in Mass Communication, Ram has an experience of 8 years in the field of Media. He has worked for radio, television, e-commerce. Appalled by the spread of fake news and disinformation, he found it both challenging and satisfying to bring out the truth and nullify the effects of fake news in society.
Kushel HM is a mechanical engineer-turned-journalist, who loves all things football, tennis and films. He was with the news desk at the Hindustan Times, Mumbai, before joining Newschecker.
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 Muslim mob stops an Indian Army vehicle and ambulance from taking a wounded soldier to a hospital.
Fact
Viral video is of an attack in Bangladesh in 2021.
A video, purportedly showing a mob armed with sticks blocking a military vehicle with an ambulance behind it, has gone viral on social media. We received this video on our Whatsapp tipline, requesting us to fact-check the claim that Muslims had stopped an Indian Army vehicle and ambulance taking a wounded soldier to a hospital. According to one Facebook user, the incident happened in West Bengal.
Also Read: Old Video Shared As Rahul Gandhi Relishing Non-Vegetarian Food During Sawan
Fact Check
Newschecker noticed that the language heard in the 02:45-second video was Bengali, while the licence plate of the first vehicle had Bengali numerals, which raised our doubts as Indian Army vehicles usually have their number plates in English.
Also, it can be clearly seen that the uniforms of the soldiers in the ambulance have “AMC” written on them, along with a red insignia. Through a relevant keyword and image search, we found out that AMC stands for Bangladesh Army Medical Corps and the logo was that of the Bangladesh Army Medical Corps. The logo on the front of the ambulance is the insignia of the Bangladesh Army.
A further search led us to this Facebook post featuring the same viral video, dated March 29, 2021, stating that the attack was carried out by an organisation called Hefazat-e-Islam in Bangladesh. Similar posts can be seen here and here.
We learnt that in early 2021 clashes had reportedly broken out between the police and the supporters of Islamist group Hefazat-e-Islam in Dhaka and Chittagong after the police had thwarted an attempt to launch an anti-Modi protest in front of the Baitul Mukarram National Mosque in the Bangladesh capital following Friday prayers. Prime Minister Narendra Modi had arrived in Dhaka in March 2021 on a two-day visit to Bangladesh to attend the celebrations of the country’s 50th year of liberation from Pakistan and the 100th birth anniversary of its founder Sheikh Mujibur Rahman. A similar report can be seen here.
Also Read: Bengaluru Double Murder: Photo Of Victim Goes Viral With Communal Spin
Conclusion
A 2021 video from Bangladesh falsely claimed to show Muslims stopping an Indian Army vehicle and ambulance.
Result: False
Sources
Facebook post from Demonsbd.Net
Report By National Herald India, Dated: March 26, 2021
Report By Indian Express, Dated: March 27, 2021
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Authors
A post-graduate in Mass Communication, Ram has an experience of 8 years in the field of Media. He has worked for radio, television, e-commerce. Appalled by the spread of fake news and disinformation, he found it both challenging and satisfying to bring out the truth and nullify the effects of fake news in society.
Kushel HM is a mechanical engineer-turned-journalist, who loves all things football, tennis and films. He was with the news desk at the Hindustan Times, Mumbai, before joining Newschecker.
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.
