Recently, several images have circulated on social media claiming that Hindu homes were set on fire. The captions accompanying these posts state, "Hindu houses are burning; this is not the home of a majority Muslim, which is why the media remains silent. This is the reality of Bangladeshi media—shame on you."
According to these claims, two minority Hindu families have lost everything in the fire allegedly set by miscreants. One of the affected families had been preparing for their daughter's wedding, with all the necessary items, including the bridal saree, stored at home. Their sole means of livelihood, a rickshaw van, was also reduced to ashes. The incident reportedly took place in the darkness of night in Saha Para, Dumuritola, under Shariktola Union of Pirojpur. It has been alleged that unidentified perpetrators set fire to the homes of Samir Saha and Kala Saha.
Family members claim that the attackers deliberately poured petrol around the house at night and set it ablaze with the intent to burn the inhabitants alive. They also stated that a similar attempt was made last month, but this time, the perpetrators succeeded.
Fact-check
An investigation by the Rumor Scanner team revealed that the fire incident did not occur recently. Instead, an incident from February 2024 has been re-circulated as a new event. Further investigation found similar posts with identical captions and images dating back to February 2024. A Facebook post from February 11, 2024, by a user named Gautam Haldar contained the same images with the same captions, confirming that the incident is not recent.
Additionally, media reports from February 10, 2024, corroborate that the fire occurred in the early hours of that day in West Dumuritola village of Pirojpur Sadar Upazila. According to a report published in Dhaka Mail, three houses were burned down in an arson attack by unidentified miscreants. The victims were identified as rickshaw driver Dipankar Saha Kala, Mrinal Kanti Saha, and Sukanta Saha. Dipankar lost his rickshaw van and all his household belongings in the fire.
In that report, Dipankar Saha was quoted as saying, "Around 3:30 AM, I saw flames inside my house and started shouting. By then, almost everything had turned to ashes. The miscreants also set fire to my relative's houses—those of Mrinal Kanti Saha and Sukanta Saha—along with a nearby temple. A few days earlier, they had attempted to set our house on fire, prompting us to file a general diary with the police station." When contacted by Rumor Scanner, Dipankar Saha confirmed that the incident occurred in February 2024. However, he stated that the identities of those responsible for the fire remain unknown.
Therefore, a fire incident from February 2024 has been misleadingly presented as a recent event in February 2025, creating confusion.
Original News Source: https://rumorscanner.com/fact-check/2024-fire-incident-shared-as-2025-recent-fire/139056
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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.