Authors
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
Thousands of Bangladeshi Hindus flee their country on ferries to escape the violence against them by Islamists.
The archived version of the tweet can be seen here.
Fact
Newschecker ran a reverse image search of keyframes of the video, which led us to this video on Facebook, where the headline, translated from Bangla, read, “Thousands of Eid passengers on the roof of the launch”. The same video can be seen here too.
A comparison confirms that the Facebook video is a longer and clearer version of the viral clip. The video was uploaded on Facebook on April 29, 2024, and May 30, 2024, respectively, well before the initial student protests against job quotas that erupted across Bangladesh in July 2024, which later swelled into a movement that led to the ouster of Bangladesh PM Sheikh Hasina on August 5.
Moreover, the ferries, locally known as launches, are a popular form of transport in Bangladesh, as seen in this Getty Images photo from 2022 and these reports, seen here and here, describing how Dhaka’s train and ferry terminals would be crowded during holidays, especially ahead of Eid.
Also Read: Viral Post Claiming India ‘Bought’ 28 Islands From Maldives Is False
Result: False
Sources
Facebook video, April 29, 2024
Getty Images photo, July 8, 2022
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Authors
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.
