Viral video does not show Bengali protesters demanding merger with India

The iVerify Pakistan team investigated this content and determined that it is false.

To reach this conclusion, iVerify Pakistan conducted a reverse image and keyword search to find the original source and reached out to local journalists in Bangladesh.

Posts from multiple users, mostly Indian accounts, since September 29, 2025, shared a video on social media platform X, claiming that it shows protests in the Chittagong city of Bangladesh during which locals demanded the merger of the country with neighbouring India. However, the video is from India and is a year old.

On Sept 28, protests erupted in the Chittagong Hill Tracts — located in southeastern Bangladesh, bordering India and Myanmar to the east — over the recent alleged gang rape of an indigenous woman.

However, the demonstration soon spiralled into clashes when security forces stopped protesters. Three people were killed. The army blamed rebels, while demonstrators accused troops of opening fire.

HOW IT STARTED

On Sept 29, an Indian propaganda account on X shared a video showing a group of people protesting in what it claimed was Bangladesh. The crowd could be heard chanting slogans and raising placards as a young man mobilised them and delivered a speech.

The caption said: “After PoJK, Protests erupt in Bangladesh. Visuals from Chittagong show locals demanding integration with India.”

The post racked up 330,200 views and 19,000 likes. It was reshared about 3,900 times.

The same video was also shared by Hindu Voice, a news portal based in India, on X with the caption: “Rally in Chittagong Hill Tracts region of Bangladesh. Janajatiya people are demanding to be a part of India. Narendra Modi, are you listening?”

The post gathered 157,800 views and 6,200 likes. It was shared 1,900 times.

Other X users also widely shared the video with the same claim, as can be seen here, here, here, here, here, here, here and here, amassing 88,100 views.

The video was also shared on other social media platforms such as Instagram and YouTube, as seen here, here and here.

METHODOLOGY

A fact-check was initiated to determine the veracity of the claim due to its high virality and keen public interest in the matter.

A close assessment of the video showed that one of the banners held by the demonstrators, red in colour, was inscribed with the text “23rd September, 2024, Pencharthal, Tripura, India”.

It must be noted that a majority of the videos shared on social media were cropped and zoomed, which hid the banners carried by the protesters and the ‘Voice Of Cht’ logo. However, a few users shared screenshots of the video from a wider angle, which showed not only the said logo but also the full banners wherein Tripura can be clearly seen.

Here is the transcription of the speech made in the video, which further proves that the clip is not from Chittagong: “We are raising our voices to Dr Muhammad Yunus from here that as long as the Chittagong Hill Tracts (CHT) does not become a part of India, until then the hill tracts need to be demilitarised. As long as CHT is not annexed into India, they need to demilitarise the region and stop mass killings in that region. Until then, we will continue this protest, and we would like to call out to our brothers and sisters in Bangladesh’s CHT to become united instead of being divided. Then we are with them.”

Similarly, a reserve image search also yielded results showing that the video was at least a year old, as seen here and here.

This was corroborated by an X user with a verified account, who describes himself as a fact-checker. In a tweet, Shohanur Rahman said, “The video claiming to show people in Chittagong protesting to join India is false. It is actually from Tripura, India, recorded last year.”

“The recent unrest in Khagrachhari began after a rape allegation. The girl’s father filed a case against three unidentified boys, and so far, one boy has been arrested — named Shayon Shill (from the Hindu community),” he added.

Moreover, a keyword search yielded a news report by Nagaland-based English newspaper, Morung Express, dated September 21, 2024. It stated that the protest was organised by thousands of tribals, mostly Buddhist Chakmas, in Tripura against the “continuous attack on minorities in neighbouring Bangladesh”.

Similar stories were also carried by other Indian outlets such as NDTV, Northeast Today, and Tripura Times.

Furthermore, an independent journalist based in Bangladesh, Asif Bin Ali, confirmed to iVerify that the video was actually from India.

FACT-CHECK STATUS: FALSE

The claim that a viral video shows protests in Bangladesh’s Chittagong is false.

The video is actually from the Indian state of Tripura and is a year old.