A video claiming that a Buddhist monastery and surrounding areas in Ruma, Bandarban, were set on fire by an extremist terrorist group in Bangladesh has been widely circulated on social media.

Fact-Check

An investigation by the Rumor Scanner team has revealed that the fire at the Buddhist monastery in Ruma, Bandarban, was not an act of arson by extremists but was caused by an electrical short circuit. A review of posts making these claims found no reliable evidence supporting the assertion. Further analysis using reverse image search on key frames from the circulated video led to a Facebook post by a user named Shaon Barua on February 4. The visuals in this post matched the widely shared video.  

The caption accompanying the video stated that around 7:00 PM on February 4, a fire completely destroyed a Buddhist monastery in Ruma, Bandarban. The incident occurred in Ward No. 1 of Paindu Union, in Mongshoipru Kar Bari Para. The fire also burned down a UNICEF structure. Some belongings could not be salvaged, and everything inside, including Buddhist statues, was reduced to ashes. According to local accounts, the fire originated from an electrical issue. 

On the same day, February 4, another Facebook live video was broadcast by a user named Nai Mra Ching Marma with the caption: “February 4, 2025 – A fire destroyed Mongshoipru Para in Ward No. 1 of Paindu Union, Ruma Upazila, Bandarban District at 7:30 PM.” The footage in this live video closely resembled the one that had been circulated with misleading claims. This confirms that the viral video actually depicts the fire in Mongshoipru Para, Paindu Union, Ruma, Bandarban. 

Further keyword searches led to a news report published on February 4 by ‘Dainik Janakantha’ under the headline “Fire in an Abandoned Buddhist Monastery in Bandarban.” The report stated that an old, abandoned structure of the monastery in Ruma Upazila caught fire on the evening of February 4 at around 7:30 PM in a remote area of Paindu Union. Local sources attributed the fire to an electrical short circuit, which spread rapidly. Due to the area's remote location and lack of access, firefighters could not reach the site. 

Mongch Khoy, a member of Ward No. 1 of Paindu Union, stated that the fire originated from an electrical meter short circuit in an abandoned structure of the monastery, which was completely burned down. However, as there were no nearby residential houses, there were no casualties. Additionally, ‘Khola Kagoj’, another news outlet, published a report on February 4 titled “Buddhist Monastery in Ruma Burned to Ashes.” This report included a still image from the incident, which matched the widely circulated video. The monastery’s head monk, Indrabansh Bhikkhu, was quoted saying, “The fire started from the monastery’s electrical wiring around 7:30 PM on February 4 while my disciple was in the kitchen.” 

The same details were confirmed in a report published the following day, February 5, in the mainstream media outlet ‘Kalbela’. Nowhere in these reports was there any credible evidence attributing the fire to an attack by an extremist group in Bangladesh. Therefore, the claim that the fire at the Buddhist monastery in Ruma, Bandarban, was an act of arson by extremists is false. It was an accidental fire caused by an electrical short circuit.

Original News Source: https://rumorscanner.com/fact-check/accidental-fire-misreported-as-extremist-attack/138618