A video claiming that "a group of Muslims is seen chaining and beating a temple elephant" has been circulated on the social media platform X (formerly Twitter) by multiple Indian accounts.
Fact-checking
An investigation by the Rumor Scanner Team reveals that the video does not depict a Muslim individual chaining and beating a temple elephant. Instead, an unrelated incident from 2024 is being used to propagate this claim.
During the fact-checking process, a report published on August 28, 2024, on the YouTube channel of the national daily The Daily Star was found. The report, titled “No One Came Forward to Save the Elephant Subjected to Cruelty in Cumilla”, provides details of the actual event. According to the report, on the morning of August 26, 2024, a mahout and his assistant were seen abusing an elephant in front of the Fire Service and Civil Defense Station in Daudkandi, Cumilla. The video of this incident later went viral on social media. Cumilla District Forest Officer GM Mohammad Kabir stated that after reviewing the video, their team initiated a search across various upazilas in Cumilla to locate the elephant and its handler. Additionally, a special team from Dhaka was deployed for the search.
Further details were reported on August 31, 2024, in an article titled “The Abused Elephant Finds Shelter in Gazipur Safari Park” on the online news platform Bdnews24.com. The report confirmed that the elephant was rescued from the Sonai Ullah area of Muradnagar, Cumilla. However, the mahouts managed to escape, preventing their immediate arrest. Following its rescue, the elephant was relocated to Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Safari Park in Gazipur. Additional findings indicate that the three mahouts used the elephant for extortion, making it roam around local markets to collect money. During one such incident, the elephant suddenly became uncontrollable and destroyed several shops in the Daudkandi area. In an attempt to restrain it, the mahouts chained its legs and resorted to beating it.
Therefore, the video showing the abuse of an elephant used for extortion in Cumilla is being falsely presented as an incident involving a Muslim individual torturing a temple elephant, making the claim misleading.
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Fact-Check Alert
Please be aware of misleading information about Bangladesh politics on social media and verify sources before sharing.
Before sharing any photocard, always verify it by checking the original media source.
Sharing religious misinformation and disinformation can cause harm. Always verify before sharing.
Before sharing any photocard, always verify it by checking the original media source.
Sharing religious misinformation and disinformation can cause harm. Always verify before sharing.