A disturbing video showing a man documenting his attacks on at least two sex workers in Bangladesh is being shared by Indian social media users with a false claim that the video shows Hindu women being assaulted for not wearing a burqa.
BOOM found that the incident does not involve any communal angle and shows unprovoked attacks on women sex workers in Bangladesh.
After the then Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina took shelter in India, several Bangladeshi outlets reported attacks on minority Hindus. However, Muhammad Yunus, head of the caretaker government, dialled Prime Minister Narendra Modi to assert that reports of attacks on Hindus and other minorities in Bangladesh are 'exaggerated.' He further assured Modi that his government is committed to protecting all citizens.
In the video, a man in a blue T-shirt is seen chasing and beating at least two women on a busy street, with a green stick, while another person records the assault. The assailant can be heard speaking in Bengali, stating that he has already attacked one group of sex workers and is about to target another. Later in the video, one of the assaulted women is seen pleading and promises that she will no longer engage in such work.
Trigger Warning: The video contains disturbing visuals. Viewer discretion is advised.
The video is being shared with the caption, "Look at the condition of Hindu girls and women in Bangladesh, Jihadi Islamist youth patrolling the streets And the Hindu girls or Hindu women who are walking on the streets without burqa are being beaten badly. See how a radical Jihadi Muslim youth is beating Hindu women in the middle of the road. Why you all are silent?"
Click here to view the post and here for an archive.
Fact Check
BOOM ran a related keyword search in Bangla and found a news report by Prothom Alo, a Bangladeshi news outlet, dated September 1, 2024, featuring screengrabs from the viral video.
The Bangladeshi news outlet reported that the attack occurred in Dhaka's Shyamali area, targeting sex workers.
The screenshots from the video mentioned in the report display the name 'HM Rasel Sultan.' The report further stated that the footage was posted by a Facebook user with the same name, who encouraged attacks on sex workers through the video.
Taking a cue from the report, we found the Facebook profile of HM Rasel Sultan, where on September 2, 2024, he admitted in a post that he carried out the attacks in response to criticism from author Taslima Nasrin.
Click here to view an archive of the post.
On September 2, 2024, Nasrin shared a post featuring the video and condemned the attacks on the women.
In response to the incident, Sharmeen Murshid, Social Welfare and Women and Children Affairs Adviser in Bangladesh's interim government, told Ajker Patrika, "Attacks on sex workers are a violation of human rights. We have promptly informed the police to take action and prevent further incidents. This matter has come to our attention, and we will address it seriously. Measures must be taken to ensure it does not happen again."
According to a report by Prothom Alo on September 5, 2024, the 'Sex Workers Network' in Bangladesh held a press conference in response to the attacks on women, asserting that their profession is not prohibited by the country's current constitution.
We reached out to Rasel Sultan for a comment, who denied the communal claims. Sultan told BOOM, "They were sex workers, and all of them were Muslims. They often harassed and teased men on the streets. This wasn't even a designated area for their rehabilitation. I protested because their actions were public."