Old video of Sufi shrine vandalised in Bangladesh goes viral as Hindu temple

This video shows a Sufi shrine being vandalised in Bangladesh

After the arrest of former ISKCON priest Chinmay Krishna Das in Bangladesh, there were many media reports that attacks against Hindus were taking place in Bangladesh. Meanwhile, a video of a Hindu temple being vandalised is going viral on social media allegedly shows Muslims destroying a Hindu temple in Bangladesh. The footage shows several people, many sporting skull caps, demolishing a building. The caption states, “Hindu temple status in Bangladesh yesterday”

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Same video is going viral on Twitter as well with the caption, “See how Hindu temples were vandalized and Hindu devotees were beaten up in different cities of Bangladesh yesterday. But the whole world is silent on the massacre of Hindus in Bangladesh”.

Fact Check-

We stated our investigation with a reverse image search on Google and the results led us to a similar video published by The Metro TV YouTube channel on 29 August, 2024. The headline of the video said this showed the shrine of Ali Pagla, located in Kazipur in Bangladesh’s Sirajganj, being demolished.

The fundamentalists of Jammat-e-Islami had launched several attacks on Sufi institutions. These religious fundamentalists allege that immoral activities are going on in these institutions. Their attacks increased after Sheikh Hasina left Bangladesh and fled to India on August 5 . Many Sufi institutions and dargahs were vandalized by Jamaat workers.

This video is of Ali Pagala Dargah located in Kazipur, Sirajganj. This is the footage of the fundamentalists demolishing this dargah.

When we searched more about this incident, we came across a story published by a Bangladeshi media website called Kaler Kanto.

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According to this news, Ali Pagla Masjid located in Sirajganj in Kazipur was attacked and demolished by a mob on August 29. This attack was led by Maulana Imam Golam Rabbani of Sthaniya Mosque. 

Another report states that on 29 August, the shrine of the Muslim saint Hazrat Baba Ali Pagla was demolished in Shalgram, located in the Mansurnagar union of the Kazipur upazila in Bangladesh’s Sirajganj district. The demolition was carried out under the direction of Golam Rabbani, a local imam. Following this, Rabbani was reportedly dismissed from his position.

So, it is clear that an old video of a Sufi shrine being vandalised in Bangladesh falsely shared as an attack on Hindu temple in Bangladesh.

Conclusion-

Fact Crescendo found the claim made along with the viral video to be False. This video shows a Sufi shrine being vandalised in Bangladesh and it dates back to August 2024.