Amit Malviya, the Bharatiya Janata Party's (BJP) IT cell chief, tweeted a video of a candlelight vigil in Bangladesh for those who died during widespread quota protests in the country and peddled it as a gathering seeking justice for the junior doctor, who was raped and killed at Kolkata's RG Kar Medical College and Hospital.
BOOM found the video was shot in Uttara, a neighbourhood in Dhaka, Bangladesh. The photographer who shot the drone video confirmed the same.
For nearly a month, West Bengal has been rocked by protests triggered by the sexual assault and killing of a 31-year old junior doctor who was on night shift duty at the RG Kar Medical College and Hospital. On the night of September 4, a section of Kolkata residents turned off their lights for a while as a symbolic act of protest.
The one-minute video, featuring multiple aerial shots captured by a drone, shows a large crowd holding candles and singing 'Dhono Dhanne Pushpe Bhora,' written by the legendary Bengali poet Dwijendra Lal Roy.
Malviya tweeted the clip claiming it was from West Bengal.
Click here to view the post and here for an archive.
Fact Check: Video from Bangladesh, Not West Bengal
Several X users in the replies to Amit Malviya's tweet pointed out that the video was from Bangladesh and not West Bengal.
BOOM ran a keyword search and found a Bangladeshi Instagram user Tamzid Islam Zihan had posted the same video on August 9, 2024, stating it showed a candlelight vigil in Uttara, Bangladesh, during the unrest in the country at the time.
Click here to view the post and here for an archive.
Bangladeshi Instagram User Posted Video
We also found that Zihan shared a similar drone video on August 9, stating it was from a candlelight vigil in Uttara. In his Facebook bio, Zihan identified himself as a drone photographer at Rajuk College Photography Club, which consists of photography enthusiasts from Rajuk Uttara Model College in Dhaka.
The same club also posted details about the event on their Facebook page on August 8, announcing a candlelight march on August 9 at the Uttara Friends Club Field in Sector 3, Uttara, Dhaka. A similar video of the event can also be found on the club's Instagram page.
Photographer Confirmed Video Was Shot In Uttara, Dhaka
BOOM Bangladesh reached out to Zihan, who confirmed that he shot the footage in Uttara, Dhaka.
"I filmed the video using a drone. It captures a candlelight vigil that took place at the Friends Club ground in Sector 3, Uttara, on August 9, 2024, in remembrance of the martyrs," Zihan told BOOM Bangladesh.
"The song 'Dhono Dhanne Pushpe Bhora' was added digitally to the video, though it was sung by those present at the event," he added.
Bangladeshi media outlet NTV News' coverage of the vigil that took place on August 9, 2024, can be watched here.
(Additional Reporting: Tausif Akbar, BOOM Bangladesh)
