An allegation of rape was reported on Thursday, June 26, in a village of Muradnagar upazila in Cumilla, where a 25-year-old woman was reportedly assaulted after the door of her residence was broken down. Following the incident, from at least June 29, a video began circulating online claiming to show the rape survivor blaming local BNP leader Zainal Molla. In the video, the woman is seen mentioning Zainal Molla by name and describing how she came into contact with him.

Fact-check

Rumor Scanner team's investigation confirms that the circulated video does not relate to the alleged rape incident of June 26. Instead, the video has been online since at least June 1—24 days before the reported incident took place. Moreover, the woman in the video, Shanta Debnath, had previously filed a case in 2024 against Zainal Molla, alleging sexual harassment and attempted rape.

In the course of verification, a video titled “Listen from her mouth what Zainal Molla wanted to do to this Hindu girl – Zainal Molla is part of the Masud group, Bangra Thana,” was found posted on the Facebook page ‘Star Muradnagar’ on June 1. A comparison of this video with the one now being circulated shows that they are identical.

On the other hand, the recent allegation concerns an incident that occurred on June 26 in Muradnagar, where a woman was allegedly raped after the door of her home was forcibly opened. Therefore, it is confirmed that the circulated video predates the incident and is unrelated to it.

Further keyword searches using the names mentioned in the video, Zainal Molla and Shanta, led to a report published on September 17 on the website of the news outlet ‘Amod,’ titled “Volunteer Party Leader in Discussion After Woman Harassment Video Goes Viral.” The report states that Zainal Molla, then Secretary of the Volunteer Party in Muradnagar upazila, was accused in the Cumilla Women and Child Abuse Prevention Tribunal of sexual harassment and attempted rape. According to the case details, the woman had been living at her father’s home in Muradnagar for the past two years and had recently been running a beauty parlour. During this time, Zainal Molla allegedly made indecent proposals to her. On the night of September 13, around 9 PM, he reportedly entered her bedroom and attempted to rape her. The woman was injured during the struggle. When her mother arrived, Zainal Molla fled. On September 17, she filed a case against him under the Women and Children Repression Prevention Act. In response, Zainal Molla claimed he was a victim of internal political rivalry and denied any involvement.

Additionally, another report published on September 21 by the news portal ‘Bhorer Surjodoy’ stated that on September 20, locals organized a human chain and protest in support of Zainal Molla, labeling the case a conspiracy. Protest speakers accused the woman, Shanta Debnath, and her mother Manjur Rani Debnath, of immoral character and said they had previously filed false rape accusations against various individuals. They claimed the current case was also fabricated, filed as an act of personal revenge against Zainal Molla.

A Facebook post from September 2024 also claims that Zainal Molla has been expelled for life from all levels of the Volunteer Party, including his post as primary secretary.

This confirms that the incident involving Zainal Molla occurred prior to the June 26 Muradnagar rape allegation. Moreover, in the recent Muradnagar case, the main accused is Fazor Ali, who has already been arrested. In connection with the distribution of the video of the alleged assault, four others—Md. Suman, Ramzan Ali, Md. Arif, and Md. Anik—have also been arrested. Zainal Molla’s name is not mentioned anywhere in this recent case.

Therefore, the video currently being circulated as the statement of the survivor of the June 26 rape incident in Muradnagar is in fact an unrelated, earlier video being used in a misleading manner.

Original News Source: https://rumorscanner.com/fact-check/old-different-video-claimed-as-recent-muradnagar-alleged-rape-incident-related/155986