Fact-checking organization Fact Watch has refuted a claim by Indian media outlet RT India, which falsely portrayed a video of a Kali idol immersion as an attack on a temple in Bangladesh. According to Fact Watch, the video, shared on RT India’s X handle, is actually from West Bengal, India, and depicts a traditional ritual of idol immersion.
Fact Watch, affiliated with the University of Liberal Arts Bangladesh and overseen by the Center for Critical and Qualitative Studies (CQS), conducted an investigation using key frames from the video. The analysis revealed that the video was uploaded on December 3, 2024, by a Facebook user named Binod Ghosh. The caption accompanying the video explained that it was from Sultanpur village in East Burdwan district, West Bengal, where a centuries-old Kali Puja tradition involves breaking the 13-foot-tall idol into pieces before immersion.
The fact-check report clarified, “After the immersion, a new idol is made and worshipped for the next 11 years.” Additional images and videos related to the ceremony, found during the investigation, showed large crowds participating in the celebration.
The Daily Statesman also corroborated the findings, reporting that this 600-year-old ritual was initially carried out by the village’s blacksmith community and later entrusted to the Mondal family. Using Google Street View, Fact Watch confirmed that the temple in question is located in Sultanpur, West Bengal, and not in Bangladesh. Additionally, there was no evidence of any Hindu devotees being harmed during the event.
Fact Watch concluded its report stating, “Considering all aspects, the viral post has been identified as false.”
