Damaged bust of Indian independence leader falsely linked to anti-Hindu violence in Bangladesh
- Published on January 29, 2026 at 10:47
- Updated on January 29, 2026 at 12:13
- 2 min read
- By Akshita KUMARI, AFP India
After the death of a popular Bangladeshi student leader in December 2025 sparked a spate of protests, a picture of a vandalised bust of Indian independence hero Mahatma Gandhi circulated on social media with a false claim it was damaged during the violence. The image was in fact taken from a news report on a government building in the eastern Indian state of West Bengal ransacked during a protest over the national electoral body's decision to revise voter rolls ahead of state elections expected later this year.
"Today, Bangladeshis showed their respect for Gandhi by doing STSJ (Sar Tan Se Juda)," reads part of a Facebook post on January 17, 2026.
"Sar tan se juda" is a slogan calling for the beheading of those accused of blasphemy against Islam, according to Indian media (archived link).
The post's attached image shows a bust of Gandhi with its head cut off.
Relations between New Delhi and Dhaka have soured after the death of popular student leader Sharif Osman Hadi sparked a spate of violence in Bangladesh (archived link).
He took part in the 2024 uprising that ousted former leader Sheikh Hasina and was a vocal India critic. Bangladesh police said his alleged killers had fled to India.
Several buildings in Dhaka were set on fire, including the offices of leading newspapers Prothom Alo and the Daily Star (archived link). Critics have accused the publications of favouring neighbouring India, where Hasina has taken refuge.
Indian media reported at least 11 Hindus have been killed in Bangladesh since December 2025, including the lynching of a Hindu garment worker Dipu Chandra Das after he was accused of blasphemy (archived link).
The image has circulated elsewhere on Facebook and other platforms, including Instagram, Threads and X, but it actually shows a vandalised bust in India's West Bengal state, not Bangladesh.
West Bengal violence
A reverse image search on Google found the picture was taken from a news report by Indian news outlet DCB News 24 on January 16 about a government building in Chakulia in the West Bengal state that was ransacked by protesters (archived link).
The video's Bengali-language caption reads, "Gandhi's statue vandalised in the name of protest in West Bengal".
News website Indian Express reported the bust was damaged on January 15 when protesters ransacked the complex during a rally over the electoral commission's decision to revise the voter's roll ahead of state elections expected later this year (archived link).
Protesters alleged voters had been removed from the roll despite having valid documents (archived link).
Subsequent keyword searches found that other Indian news outlets have published visuals of the vandalised bust, including The Telegraph which reported 15 people were arrested (archived here and here).
AFP also found a photo of the statue at the Chakulia office on Google Maps taken in 2023, which matches the surroundings seen in the false post (archived link).
Bangladeshi chief adviser's office also refuted the claim in an X post on January 21 (archived link).
AFP has previously debunked misinformation around the unrest in Bangladesh.
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