Fact Check: Gory Visuals From Hathras Stampede Shared With Claim They 'Show Hindu Women Killed In Bangladesh’
A video circulating on social media claims to show 'Hindu women who were raped & murdered in Bangladesh'. The posts allege the incident is connected to the ongoing religious tensions in the country.
The Verdict: False
A video from a stampede incident in Uttar Pradesh in July 2024 has been shared with a false claim amid religious tension in Bangladesh.
(Trigger Warning: This fact-check contains mentions of rape and other distressing events. Reader discretion is advised. Logically Facts has avoided adding live links to the video.)
What is the claim?
A video circulating on social media claims to show ‘Hindu women’ who were raped and murdered in Bangladesh. According to the posts, the incident is connected to the ongoing religious tensions in the country after the violence over the arrest of a Hindu priest, which has led to protests and counterprotests. The video shows the bodies of several women on the ground and on stretchers, both outside and inside a hospital.
Several social media users shared the video on X with the caption, “In Bangladesh, women ranging in age from 1 to 70 years were raped by groups of 20 Muslims and later killed and their bodies discarded. Rahul Gandhi, don’t you see your mother, sister, or daughter in these helpless and unfortunate women?” Archived versions of such posts can be found here, here, and here.
However, the claim is false. The video actually shows people who died in a stampede incident in Hathras, in the north Indian state of Uttar Pradesh and is unrelated to the conflict in Bangladesh.
How did we find the truth?
We conducted a reverse image search on the keyframes of the viral clip and found that a similar video was published by a YouTube channel on July 3, 2024. The description of the video states that 122 people died in a stampede during a religious gathering for ‘Bhole Baba’ in Hathras. The incident happened in Phulrai village, located 47 km from Hathras district.
According to a report by Hindustan Times dated July 3, 2024, at least 116 people were killed and many others injured in a stampede during a religious gathering in Hathras. The crowd had gathered to attend a sermon by the popular preacher Narayan Saakar Hari, also known as Bhole Baba. Chaitra V., the divisional commissioner of Aligarh city in Uttar Pradesh, stated that a dust storm obstructed visibility while people exited the venue, leading to the incident. However, an eyewitness claimed the stampede was caused by followers rushing to collect “raj” (dust) over which the preacher’s vehicle had passed.
The report also featured an image that matched the viral video. Upon comparison, we found that four dead bodies lying on the ground are visible in both the viral clip and the news report.
We found another news report by India.com noting that at least 121 people died in a stampede during a religious gathering in Hathras. This report also featured an image that matched several frames in the viral video and showed the same woman in an orange saree sitting with other people.
In addition, a News18 report on the stampede incident featured an image that matches the viral video's frame.
Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath visited the place of the incident and met the injured. He announced a Special Investigation Team (SIT) probe into the stampede and proposed Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) to prevent future incidents.
Logically Facts contacted Ravi Gautam, a reporter based in Hathras, who confirmed that the viral footage does not show an incident in Bangladesh but in Hathras. “This is that Hathras incident where 121 people had died. They died at Bhole Baba’s satsang and the stampede that ensued there,” he said.
The verdict
A video from a stampede incident in Uttar Pradesh has been shared with the false claim of showing Hindu women killed by Muslims in Bangladesh amid ongoing religious tensions.
This story was originally published by Logically Facts as part of the Shakti Collective. Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by ABP Live staff.
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