India TV Fact Check: A video circulating on various social media platforms depicts several people standing on both sides of a barbed wire fence. Social media users have claimed that this footage shows recent scenes from the India-Bangladesh border in Assam, amid the unrest in Bangladesh. However, India TV's fact-check has revealed that the viral video being shared with this claim is false.
What is going viral?
A video was uploaded on the social media platform X on August 8, 2024, claiming to show the India-Bangladesh border. The caption reads, "Visuals from India-Bangladesh border in Assam," and the video was posted by a user named Curlycrown (X@OKa74449). The video suggests that a large number of Hindus are attempting to enter India from the Assam-Bangladesh border, leading to a crowd gathering at the border.
India TV investigated
India TV's fact-check team has investigated the authenticity of the viral video. They took several screenshots and used Google reverse image search, which led to multiple links related to the video. One of these links was from YouTube, dating back to June 2018. The video was uploaded by the channel YOUR FRIENDS on June 5, 2018, with the caption "India Bangladesh Milan Mela 15 April 2018." This confirms that the viral video is not about Hindus leaving Bangladesh but is actually footage from the Milan Mela ceremony held at the India-Bangladesh border six years ago.
The second link found through a Google reverse image search revealed that the fair depicted in the video is held on the West Bengal border between India and Bangladesh, where barbed wire fencing separates the two countries. This Milan Mela takes place on the same day as Baisakhi, allowing people from both nations to meet their relatives and friends across the border. However, since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, this fair has not been held at the border.
Assam Police has also labelled the recently viral video as fake. On August 8, 2024, they tweeted a warning about misinformation, stating that an old video from April 2018 is being falsely circulated as recent footage from the India-Bangladesh border in Assam. They have announced that action will be taken against those attempting to spread panic with false intentions.
What came out in the Fact Check?
India TV's fact-check team has determined that the video going viral with false claims on various social media platforms is fake. This video, which is being falsely presented as recent footage, actually depicts a fair held on the India-Bangladesh border six years ago. It is being circulated with misleading claims about current events.
