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
Video shows violent clash after Rohingya Muslims take over a mosque of Indian Muslims.
Fact
Viral video dates back to December 2022, shows internal clash between two groups of a mosque in Bilasipara, Assam, over a position on the management committee.
Several social media users are circulating a video, claiming it shows a violent clash after Rohingya Muslims took control of a mosque of Indian Muslims as they were “converted Muslims”.
The video, spanning 45 seconds, was shared by many users on various social media platforms, and the most viral post on Twitter has amassed close to 6,000 views at the time of publishing this article.
The archived version of the post can be seen here. The post comes close on the heels of Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei’s controversial post on X, calling attention to the plight of Muslims in various regions, including India among countries where, according to him, Muslims were not safe. Immediately after Khamenei’s tweet, India’s External Affairs ministry strongly condemned the statement, describing them “misinformed and unacceptable” while referring to the Iranian government’s treatment of minorities.
Fact Check
Newschecker ran a keyword search for “Rohingya Muslims Indian Muslims mosque”, which did not throw up any relevant news reports about such an incident.
A reverse image search of keyframes led us to this ANI report, dated January 3, 2023, stating that one person was killed and several others injured in a clash between two groups of a mosque in the Bilasipara area in Assam’s Dhubri district on December 30, 2022.
Similar reports can be seen here and here, stating that the clashes took place over a position on the mosque management committee.
A clearer version of the viral video, posted on Twitter by the executive editor of Assam-based News Live on January 3, 2024, and a Times Now report on Youtube, dated January 5, 2023, confirm it is the same incident.
None of the reports mention the involvement of Rohingya Muslims. We then reached out to inspector T Boro, officer-in-charge, Bilasipara police station, who also confirmed that no Rohingya Muslims were involved. “The viral video is of an internal clash for control of the management committee of the mosque. Two cases were registered concerning the clash between the groups in 2022,” he said.
Conclusion
An old video of an internal clash between two factions of a mosque in Assam falsely shared as Rohingya Muslims violently taking over a mosque of Indian Muslims.
Result: False
Source
ANI report, January 3, 2023
Times Now report, Youtube, July 31, 2023
Conversation with inspector T Boro, officer-in-charger, Bilasipara police station
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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.
