(Trigger Warning: Description of the incident can be triggering for some readers.)
A video, which shows partially charred bodies on the road with people surrounding them and wailing, is being shared on social media with a false claim that the video is from Rampurhat, Birbhum district of West Bengal, where eight people died after their houses were set on fire on Monday, 21 March.
The claim further communalises the incident and states that '12 Hindu women and two children who were killed in the violence,' following the killing of one Trinamool Panchayat leader, Bhadu Sheikh.
However, the claim in misleading on two counts:
The video is not from Birbhum but Odisha's Ganjam district where at least nine people were killed and 35 were injured after a bus caught fire, in February 2020, upon coming in contact with a power transmission line.
At the time of writing this article, as per the preliminary list released by the police, all the eight victims belong to the Muslim community. Further, the post-mortem report is awaited to confirm their identities.
A Special Investigation Team (SIT) has been formed to investigate the matter.
CLAIM
The video is being shared with the claim in Hindi that reads, "साहस नहीं हो रहा है कि, पश्चिम बंगाल के इस दिल दहला देने वाले वीडियो को साझा करूँ। पश्चिम बंगाल में 12 हिन्दुओ जिसमे 2 बच्चे भी है, उन्हें इस तरह जिंदा जलाकर मार दिया गया, जगाने के लिए हर बार Kashmir flile मूवी बनाना पड़े तो धिक्कार है तुम्हारे हिन्दू होने पर."
(Translation: Don't have the courage to share this after watching this heart-wrenching video. In West Bengal, 12 Hindus, including two children, were burnt alive. If still we need to make films like 'The Kashmir Files' to evoke feelings, then shame on you being Hindus.)
(Note: We have refrained from including any links to the video due to the distressing nature of the visuals.)
The Quint also received a verification query about this video on its WhatsApp tipline number.
WHAT WE FOUND
The same video was earlier shared in 2020 with another misleading claim and The Quint's WebQoof team had debunked it then.
We had found that the video was from Odisha and it showed the aftermath of a bus catching fire after coming in contact with a power transmission line.
A reverse image search on the keyframes of the video led us to a video uploaded on a YouTube channel 'Asian Times' on 9 February. It mentioned that the video is from Odisha’s Berhampur.
We then searched on YouTube using keywords ‘Odisha Berhampur bus high tension’ and found a bulletin uploaded by Odisha TV on 9 February.
On comparing the buses shown in Odisha TV bulletin and the one in the viral video, we found that they are the same.
The Quint had also carried a news report by PTI on the incident which noted that at least nine people were killed and 35 injured when a Chikarada-bound bus coming from Jangalpadu came in contact with a 11 KV power transmission line, near Golanthara in Ganjam district.
Back in 2020, we spoke to the Additional Superintendent of Police of Berhampur, Prahbat Chandra, who had confirmed the details to us.
WHAT ABOUT THE CLAIM ON 12 HINDU WOMEN BEING KILLED?
As per the police, eight people were charred and three admitted to hospital on Monday, 21 March, in Bagtui village on the outskirts of Rampurhat town in West Bengal’s Birbhum.
As per reports, the miscreants allegedly set fire to the houses of Sona Sheikh, Mihilal Sheikh, Fatik Sheikh, and Banirul Sheikh, supposedly distant relatives of Bhadu Sheikh.
The preliminary list of the victims includes the name of a newly-wed couple Lily Khatun and her husband Kaji Sajidur Rahman.
While the police has denied that any Hindu women were killed, a post-mortem report to confirm the identities of the deceased is awaited.
Police suspect that it is in retaliation to the killing of Bhadu Sheikh, the deputy chief of the Trinamool Congress (TMC) from Barshal village.
The incident has led to a political row in the state, with West Bengal Chief Minister (CM) Mamata Banerjee alleging a "larger political conspiracy."
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