Fact-Check: Old Video From Bangladesh Viral as Muslims Entering India on Boats

We were able to trace this video back to March 2024. It shows people traveling to a religious event in Bangladesh.

Fact-Check: This video shows a gathering for a religious annual meeting in Bangladesh. 

(Source: The Quint) 

A video showing several men wearing skull caps and traveling by boat is being shared on social media platforms.

The claim: Those sharing have noted that it shows Bangladeshi Muslims entering West Bengal on boats.

An archive of the post can be found here. 

(Source: Facebook/Screenshot) 

(Archives of similar claims can be found here and here.)

Is the claim true?: No, the claim is false.

• We were able to trace a similar video back to March 2024. The clip is about the Biswa Ijtema in Bangladesh, a large annual religious gathering.

What we found: We divided the video into multiple screenshots and ran a Google reverse image search on some of them.

• We came also a similar video on YouTube from March 2024.

• The caption noted, "Charmonai," which is a village in Bangladesh.

The video was uploaded on 26 March 2024. 

(Source: YouTube/Altered by The Quint) 

• We, then, went back to the viral video and translated the narrator's sentence which was in Bangla.

• He said, "On 31 January, the Biswa (World) Ishtama begins. That's why we, the Muslim brothers, have come two or one day earlier. Share this video to everyone. Everyone should know that Ishtama has started. Inshallah."

• Nowhere did the narrator mention anything about the men on boats entering India.

What is Biswa Ijtema?: As per the Daily Star, it is a three-day Muslim prayer meet.

• The first phase of the 2025 Biswa Ijtema started on 31 January along the Turag River in Tongi, Bangladesh. It was organised by the Zubair faction of Tabligh Jamaat, it began with a sermon by Maulana Ibrahim Deola. 

Conclusion: The video is old from 2024 and does not show Muslims entering India on boats, as claimed.

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