Eviction drive footage in Bangladesh misrepresented as migrants ejected from home in India

"Bulldozer action is underway in the Bangladeshi settlement in West Bengal. All of them were settled on forest department and government land," reads a Hindi-language X post shared on May 21. "In the video, look in the background -- a man is standing there in a Bangladesh cricket team jersey."

The attached clip shows a man crying uncontrollably on the road as others try to calm him down. Some women and small children can also be seen crying.

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Screenshot of the false post captured on June 2, 2026, with a red X added by AFP

The BJP ordered local authorities in West Bengal to set up "holding centres" for "apprehended foreigners" as part of a broader crackdown on illegal immigration after the party won power in the eastern state in May (archived link). 

The rush underscores growing anxiety among migrant communities -- many of whom lack proper documentation -- with rights groups warning of forced expulsions and limited legal protections (archived link). 

While the BJP has long claimed that large numbers of undocumented Muslim migrants from neighbouring Bangladesh had fraudulently entered India's electoral rolls, critics say the measure reflects the government's long-standing hardline stance on immigration, with top BJP members referring to Bangladeshi migrants as "termites" and "infiltrators" in the past (archived link).

The video has spread with similar claims elsewhere on X and Facebook, but it is in fact filmed in Bangladesh and not related to the BJP's announcement. 

A reverse image search led to the same footage published on the Facebook account of Bangladeshi media outlet Sobar Kantha on May 20 with a caption saying it was filmed during an eviction operation (archived link). 

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Screenshot comparison of the false post (L) and the Sobar Kantha video

A separate reverse image search led to a video showing the same man that Bangladeshi news outlet Kaler Kantho livestreamed on the day. It also gave the location as a slum in the Bauniabadh area in the capital, Dhaka (archived link). 

The local government had ordered houses that allegedly occupied public land in the area to be torn down, and clashes broke out between the police and residents who resisted the order. At least five officers were injured, according to Bangladeshi media reports (archived here and here). 

Sobar Kantha published another video on the day showing the same person standing on the ledge of a building pleading with a police officer (archived link).

The name of a shop, "Khan Bastro Bitan", can be seen in the 5:59 mark of the livestreamed footage. The address of the shop, written in Bengali, reads as Bauniabadh Tinshed Colony Bazar, Mirpur, Dhaka. 

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Screenshot of the Kaler Kantho livestream with the store's name and address highlighted by AFP

Images on Google Maps Street View of the area show the same shop front and utility pole in the circulating video (archived link).  

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Screenshot comparison of the Kaler Kantho video (L) and Google Street View Imagery from Dhaka, with matching elements highlighted by AFP

A local shop owner Abdul Kuddus Khan confirmed to AFP in a phone call on June 1 that the footage was filmed at Bauniabadh Bazar in Pallabi, Dhaka. 

"The video shows the aftermath of a May 20 eviction drive in Dhaka's Bauniabadh area, where authorities demolished unauthorised houses, shops and garages built on public land," he said. 

AFP has previously debunked other false claims related to the West Bengal state elections.

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