A video showing a Muslim elderly man allegedly being assaulted and mistreated by a group of people is circulating widely on social media. The video is being shared with the claim that the incident took place in Barabanki district of Uttar Pradesh. However, a fact-check by Times Headline found that the claim is misleading. The viral video is not from Barabanki but is linked to an incident reported from Noakhali in Bangladesh.
An Instagram user shared the video with the caption: “Breaking News, a video has surfaced rapidly on social media from Barabanki, Uttar Pradesh, in which an elderly Muslim man is allegedly seen being beaten and mistreated. After the video surfaced, different reactions to the incident are being seen on social media. People have raised questions regarding the events shown in the viral video and are demanding a fair investigation into the matter.”
Meanwhile, another user shared the video on Facebook with the caption: “Was it right to do this to a Muslim elderly man?”
How Times Headline Fact-Checked the Video
To verify the authenticity of the viral video, Times Headline first extracted key frames from the footage. These frames were then subjected to a reverse image search using Google Lens. During the investigation, the same video was found posted by several Bangladeshi social media users with captions written in Bengali.
A user named Kazi Mamun shared the video and wrote: “An elderly man named Joynal Abedin has been handed over to the police on false allegations. He is the younger brother of Hanif Chowdhury, former chairman of Char Jubilee Union in Noakhali and general secretary of the Subarnachar Upazila Awami League. He is a well-known businessman and a respectable person in the area. We strongly condemn this incident and protest against it.” (Hindi translation)
The same video was also shared by a page named Noakhali Insiders. The post stated: “NP’s brothers tortured a man the age of their father out of political revenge, and also insulted his beard. Is it really that easy? Remember, even if accountability for power can be avoided in a human court, no identity, party or influence will work in Allah’s court. One day you will have to answer for what you stood for that day while insulting the Sunnah of the Prophet.” (Hindi translation)
Additionally, Mk Tv – মানব কল্যাণ টিভি shared the same video and stated: “Jubo League leader Joynal Abedin, who is the younger brother of Hanif Chowdhury, former chairman of Char Jubilee Union and general secretary of the Subarnachar Upazila Awami League, was detained by a mob in Charkalar with yaba.” (Hindi translation)
Barabanki Police Also Denied the Claim
As part of the investigation, Times Headline contacted the Barabanki Sadar Police Station to verify whether any such incident had taken place in the area. The police denied the claim and said that no such incident had been reported in the locality.
This further establishes that the viral video has been wrongly presented as an incident from Barabanki. The reverse image search also indicates that the video is connected to an incident in Noakhali, Bangladesh.
Conclusion
The Times Headline fact-check found the viral claim to be misleading. The video showing a Muslim elderly man being allegedly assaulted and mistreated is not from Barabanki, Uttar Pradesh. It is linked to an incident reported from Noakhali, Bangladesh. Therefore, sharing the video by falsely presenting it as an incident from Barabanki is misleading and gives the footage a false context.