Fact Check: Did a Hindu Family Get Beaten to Death Amid Anti-Waqf Bill Protests in West Bengal?
The video, allegedly showing a group pelting stones at two men and two women outside a house, is being linked to the ongoing protests against the Waqf Act in West Bengal.
Claim: Three members of a Hindu family were beaten to death during anti-Waqf protests in Murshidabad, West Bengal.
Fact: This claim is false. The video in question is from a 2024 land dispute incident in Jaipur, Rajasthan.
A disturbing video is circulating widely on social media claiming that Hindu families in Muslim-dominated areas of Murshidabad, West Bengal, are being attacked, their homes set on fire, and looted. The video, allegedly showing a group pelting stones at two men and two women outside a house, is being linked to the ongoing protests against the Waqf Act in West Bengal. However, fact-checking investigations have revealed that the video is unrelated to the current unrest and originates from a different context entirely.
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The Viral Video and the Claims
The video, shared widely on platforms like Facebook, shows violent stone-pelting on a family outside their residence. One user claimed that this incident occurred in Murshidabad amid anti-Waqf protests, asserting that three members of a Hindu family were killed and that West Bengal is becoming like Bangladesh. The post further called for President’s Rule in the state.
Fact Check: Video is from Rajasthan, Not West Bengal
Fact-checkers from NewsMeter investigated the authenticity of the viral footage using reverse image search techniques. The results traced the video back to April 2024 and confirmed that it was related to a land dispute in Jaipur, Rajasthan — not communal violence in West Bengal.
Several news outlets, including TV9 Hindi, ABP Live, and NDTV Rajasthan, had reported on the incident back in 2024. According to these reports, a group of 40-60 individuals attacked a family living in the Sanganer area under the Malpura Gate police jurisdiction in Jaipur. The attackers used sticks and iron rods, attempting to evict the family that had been residing there for over 50 years.
NDTV reported that the mob, connected to individuals from Bharatpur and Bayana, allegedly acted on a longstanding dispute over ancestral land. Police officials confirmed it as a land-related attack and assured that arrests had been made and investigations were ongoing.
No Connection to Murshidabad Violence
While it is true that Murshidabad has witnessed unrest related to anti-Waqf Act protests, including incidents of violence and over 150 arrests, the viral video does not depict events from this district. Authorities have not linked any such attack to the circulating video, and no credible source has verified claims of deaths shown in the footage.
Conclusion
The video being circulated with communal and political commentary is misleading. It falsely ties a year-old land dispute in Rajasthan to the present unrest in West Bengal. Spreading such misinformation can deepen tensions and incite further conflict. Viewers are urged to verify sources before sharing sensitive content, especially during volatile situations.
