Did Muslims vandalize railway station because train horn disturbed namaz? Viral video fact-checked
A video showing a mob vandalizing a railway station in West Bengal has been widely shared on social media with the claim that the group became violent because a train horn disturbed their prayers. However, upon investigation, it was revealed that the video actually dates back to the 2019 anti-Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA) protests.
Viral Claim
One of the captions of the viral video stated, "Mahishashur railway station in Murshidabad, Bengal being destroyed. Reason: The sound of the train whistle is disturbing their Namaaz. We can see the future of India. #BengalModel." Another similar video, which shows people removing train tracks, is circulating with the same misleading claim.
Investigation
The investigation into these claims involved several steps:
1. Identifying the Location:
- In the 1:49 minute-long video, the location's name 'Naopara Mahishasur' is visible on a wall. This station is located in the Murshidabad district of West Bengal.
2. Verifying the Date and Context:
- Using the InVID Google Chrome extension, the video was fragmented into multiple keyframes and subjected to a reverse image search. This led to a Facebook post from 2019, which featured similar videos from different angles, indicating that the videos were from the 2019 anti-CAA protests.
- The 2019 Facebook post included multiple videos showing vandalism at Naopara Mahishasur railway station and attributed the violence to the anti-CAB protests.
3. Cross-Referencing Visuals:
- Comparing the 2019 video with the viral one revealed the same individuals, including a man in a blue shirt, vandalizing the railway station.
4. Additional Sources:
- A YouTube video dated December 14, 2019, titled 'Protest procession against CAB and NRC at Naopara Mahishasur station in Sagardighi' corroborated the events.
- A keyword search using 'Naopara Mahishasura railway station anti-CAA protest' in Bengali led to an article from Bartaman Patrika dated December 15, 2019. The article detailed protests against the citizenship issue at Nimatita station, Poradanga station, and Naopara Mahishasur station, confirming the morning vandalism linked to anti-CAA protests.
Conclusion
The viral claim that the mob vandalized the railway station due to the disturbance caused by a train horn during prayers is false. The videos actually depict the 2019 anti-CAA protests at Naopara Mahishasur railway station in Murshidabad district, West Bengal. This fact-check confirms that the current claims circulating on social media are misleading, as the context and timing of the events have been misrepresented.
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MP boat tragedy: Death toll rises to 10 with recovery of one more body; 3 tourists still missing
Jabalpur (PTI): The body of a child was retrieved on Saturday evening from Bargi Dam in Jabalpur district of Madhya Pradesh, raising the death toll in the cruise boat tragedy that took place two days ago to ten, while search continued for three missing tourists.
The boat, operated by the state tourism department, capsized during a storm on Thursday evening with some of the survivors alleging negligence and safety lapses such as life jackets not being distributed in time.
The body recovered on Saturday evening was possibly that of six-year-old Viraj Soni, said Sub-Divisional Officer of Police (SDOP) Anjul Ayank Mishra.
"The identity will be confirmed after family members identify the body," he told PTI.
Kamraj, an employee of the Ordnance Factory at Khamaria, his five-year-old son Tamil, and another child Mayuram (5) who had come from southern India were still missing.
Authorities have arranged equipment to search deep waters of the dam and are getting a generator to facilitate diving operations, Mishra added.
Divers and disaster response teams have expanded the search radius to five km, he said.
Of the 41 identified passengers on board the ill-fated vessel, 28 were rescued, police said.
More than 200 rescuers, including around 20 Army divers airlifted from Agra, joined the search operation that resumed at 5 on Saturday morning. The operation, involving the National Disaster Response Force, State Disaster Response Force and local divers, was briefly affected at around 9 am due to strong winds, officials said.
Post-mortem examinations of nine deceased persons have been completed, Mishra said.
"Our priority is to search for the missing persons. We will also register a First Information Report in the case soon," he said.
Police said CCTV footage near the boarding point showed 43 people heading towards the boat while the identities of 41 passengers have been confirmed so far.
The state government on Friday ordered a probe into the tragedy and dismissed three crew members. It also banned operation of similar vessels in the state.
