DHAKA, Dec 27, 2024 (BSS) – Fact-checking body Rumor Scanner in an investigation found that a video being circulated claiming an attack on a shop in Noakhali is not recent, rather it is from 2023 and any Hindu person does not involve with this incident.

In a report published on its website on Thursday, the fact-checking organization said a video was being circulated on social media claiming an attack on Gangchil Asa Bazar in Char Elahi Union No. 8 of Companiganj, Noakhali. The hashtag “Saving Bangladeshi Hindus” has also been used in the caption of some posts claiming the same.

The posts claiming the recent incident also criticized the current government, mentioning that the incident happened during the time of the interim government.

In its report, Rumor Scanner said a video uploaded on a page called ‘Channel Noakhali’ on December 2, 2023 was found by searching with relevant keywords. The video footage is similar to the footage of the video to be circulated claiming as communal attack.

The caption of the video stated that the attack took place on December 1 at Raj Garments in Gangchil Bazar of Char Elahi Union.

The injured are the owner of the establishment identifying as Shahraj Uddin, 31, and his family members, Haji Mustafizur Rahman, 83, Md. Belayet Hossain, 63, Omar Faruk, 38, Shahab Uddin, 63 and Imam Hossain Khan, 56.

Traders in the market said around 9 pm, 15-20 people led by Gangchil Bazar Committee General Secretary Md. Rajib Khan and his father-in-law Delwar Hossain resorted to sudden attack. They all stabbed six people with country-made sharp weapons, injuring them.

A two-minute and 51-second video of the incident has gone viral on Facebook. It is learnt that the general secretary of the market committee, Md. Rajib Khan, had been demanding a bribe of Taka one lakh from the owner of Raj Garments in Gangchil Bazar, Chhatra League leader Shahraj Uddin.

He also threatened him several times when he did not pay. Due to this, on Friday (December 1) night, Rajib and his associates, led by his father-in-law, attacked and vandalized Raj Garments with weapons.

Shahraj Uddin, the owner of Raj Garments, told Global TV, "The general secretary of the market committee, Rajib, has demanded a bribe of Taka one lakh from me to run the business. They threatened me several times when I did not pay. They will not let me do business unless I pay the bribe. I want a proper investigation into this incident and the terrorists to be brought to justice."

Repeated calls to the mobile phone of the general secretary of the market committee, Md. Rajib Khan, did not yield any response.

Pranab, the officer-in-charge (OC) of the Companiganj police station, said that after receiving information about the attack, the police went to the spot and arrested a man named Delwar Hossain.

He was seen attacking with a weapon in the video. A case is being filed against him. The operation to arrest the rest is underway.’

Further investigation found a video report that was uploaded on Jamuna TV’s YouTube channel on December 2, 2023 with the caption ‘Noakhali attack video viral | Noakhali Attack | Viral Video | Jamuna TV’.

The footage shown in the report is similar to the footage of the video broadcast with the discussed claim.

From the video report, it is known that the attack took place at Raj Garments in Gangchil Bazar, Char Elahi Union, Companiganj, Noakhali, at around 8 pm on December 1, 2023.

A report published on Jamuna TV’s website in this regard mentioned, ‘Locals said that Tareq, a relative of the secretary of the market committee, Rajib Khan, tried to use the shop employee of Muslim, a green coconut trader in Gangchil Bazar, to install a deep tubewell. In this regard, an argument broke out between the two parties in Gangchil Bazar on Friday (December 1) evening. At one point, Rajib Khan was hit on the head by Muslim's family members. Later, Rajib's relatives attacked Muslim's nephew Md. Shahraj Uddin's shop with a ramada. Five members of their family were injured during this time.'

Furthermore, the news published on the websites of Bengali daily Jaijaidin and RTV also revealed that the incident happened in 2023.

The incident took place during the previous Awami League government in 2023. So, propagating the 2023 incident of the attack on a Muslim man's shop in Noakhali as recent and an attack on Hindus is misleading, the fact checking body concluded.