A video showing a group of people vandalising a toll plaza after their pickup van was stopped is being circulated with a false communal claim that it depicts a group of Muslims in India refusing to pay toll fee.
BOOM found that the video shows a pickup van being stopped from entering the toll plaza in an elevated expressway in Bangladesh on September 18, 2024, because smaller vehicles are not permitted on the elevated expressway due to chances of accidents. The incident led to an altercation, which escalated into vandalism.
In the video, a group of people wearing Islamic caps is seen in a pickup van, standing in front of the toll plaza and arguing with the toll workers. During the argument, one person exits the van and is seen breaking the plaza's barricade.
Right-wing handle @JIX5A shared the video and wrote, "The Western world continuously says Muslims are persecuted in India! They think they are exempt from paying toll".
Click here to view the post and here for an archive.
Fact Check
BOOM first observed that the pickup van features the logo of JAC Motors, a Chinese automobile manufacturer whose vehicles are commonly seen on the streets of Bangladesh.
Taking a cue, we ran a keyword search for "toll plaza, vandalism, Bangladesh" and found a news report from the Dhaka Tribune, published on September 18, 2024, which included a screenshot from the same viral footage.
The report stated that the incident happened at the Kuril toll plaza on the Dhaka Elevated Expressway on the same day, following an altercation that led to the vandalism.
Dhaka Tribune spoke with AHM Akhtar, the project director of the Elevated Expressway, who stated that pickup vans, motorcycles, CNGs, and rickshaws are prohibited on the expressway due to the high risk of accidents, which could result in major incidents if any of these vehicles fall.
The report quoted Akhtar saying, "However, the people in the pickup van did not want to comply with this regulation and ended up causing the incident before paying the toll and leaving. It remains unknown where they came from”.
Another report from bdnews24.com regarding the incident featured Haseeb Hasan Khan, manager of the operation and maintenance department at First Dhaka Elevated Expressway (FDEE) Company Limited. He explained that, according to safety regulations, open vehicles cannot run on the expressway with passengers.
Khan told bdnews24.com, "This vehicle is similar to a pickup, and many people were standing in it. Our ticket collector observed on camera that the vehicle was not permitted on the expressway due to safety rules. He then contacted our MIS to confirm whether the vehicle could proceed. At that point, some passengers got out of the vehicle, questioning why they were denied access despite having paid the toll."
Bangladeshi news outlet Somoy TV also reported on the incident on September 18, 2024, which one can view below.