Bangladesh's anti-hawker operation mischaracterised as Nepali authorities driving out Muslims

Published on May 4, 2026 at 09:07
2 min read
By Sachin BAGHEL, AFP India

Video viewed hundreds of thousands of times on social media shows police in Bangladesh's capital moving along illegal hawkers, contrary to posts framing it in religious terms and saying it shows Nepali authorities "driving out all Bangladeshis". The footage was shared in local media reports about the police operation in Dhaka and matches Google Street View imagery of the area.

"Anger in Nepal. In Nepal, the Hindu-led government has now started driving out all Bangladeshis," says the Hindi-language caption of an X video shared on April 24, 2026.

The video, which has been viewed more than 200,000 times, shows police hitting food carts outside a stadium with sticks and telling vendors to leave.

"The Nepal government has clearly said: 'If we are considered kafirs, then leave our country'," the caption continues.

Hardliners in Hindu-majority India claim Muslims pejoratively refer to them as "kafir", which means "disbeliever" (archived link).

Screenshot of the false post captured on May 1, 2026, with a red X added by AFP

The footage circulated after rapper-turned-politician Balendra Shah was sworn in as Nepal's new prime minister on March 27, which included elaborate Hindu and Buddhist rituals (archived link).

The 35-year-old reformist and his Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP) swept to power on a platform of youth-driven political change in the first election since deadly anti-corruption protests toppled the government in September 2025.

India's The Statesman newspaper reported that the religious nature of Shah's swearing-in ceremony triggered criticism from civil society groups and commentators, who pointed out Nepal's constitutional commitment to secularism and the risk of excluding minorities (archived link).

The video purportedly showing Nepali police officers driving out Bangladeshis was also shared in similar Facebook and X posts.

"Yes Bangladeshi should be thrown out from India as well," read a comment on one of the posts.

Another said: "Those who call Hindus infidels should leave the country immediately and if they do not leave then the government should make them vacate the country."

But the video was in fact filmed in Bangladesh.

A closer analysis of the footage shows Bengali-language text visible in several places, the country's name on a billboard and the words "Bangladesh Police" on the cap of one officer.

Screenshots from the falsely shared video, with text indicating it was filmed in Bangladesh highlighted by AFP

A reverse image search on Google using keyframes from the falsely shared video led to a Bengali-language report shared on YouTube on March 18 (archived link).

According to the report, shared on the channel of a Bangladesh-based news outlet, the video shows police in the Bangladesh capital Dhaka clearing illegal hawkers.

The video "has no connection with immigration or religious issues", Muhammad Talebur Rahman, a spokesperson for the Dhaka Metropolitan Police, told AFP on May 3.

He confirmed it showed an eviction drive of hawkers near the Gulustan stadium in the capital city.

The footage corresponds to Google Street View imagery of the area outside the national stadium in Dhaka (archived link).

Screenshot comparison of the falsely shared video (L) and Google Street View imagery of Dhaka, with matching features highlighted by AFP

AFP has previously debunked other misinformation about the situation in Nepal.

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