By Khushi Mehrotra
A set of images that show a man attacking another individual wearing a skull cap is going viral on social media platforms as a recent incident from India. Those sharing the clip have captioned it saying, “A person came and suddenly started killing a Muslim man by holding his beard!” (sic).(Archives of similar claims can be found here and here.) Is the claim true?: No, the claim is false. This incident actually took place in Bangladesh, where a Muslim shop owner was attacked over some financial dispute with his customer.Video of Man Garlanded With Shoes in Bangladesh Viral With False Communal ClaimsWhat we found: We ran a Google reverse image search on the frames and were led to a report by Bangladeshi news outlet Jago News 24 dated 24 June. The report included the images that looked similar to the viral post. The report said that a man named Nasim Bhuiyan attacked Ali Azam Manik, the owner of a shop called ‘Manik Computer’ located near the Ghior bus stand.As per the report, Bhuiyan would visit Manik’s shop under various pretenses and would leave without settling the bill. Bhuiyan would often threaten to shut down the victim’s shop if he requested money.On the evening of 23 June, Bhuiyan returned to the store where Manik was occupied with another client’s work and asked the former to wait.This enraged Bhuiyan, and he began to strike the shopkeeper by pulling his beard. Other individuals intervened and rescued the victim and later took him to the health centre for assistance.This report also included a statement from Bhuiyan who alleged, “Md Ali Azam Manik Mia, the owner of Manik Computer and Training Center, demanded more money. I protested and when Ali Azam Manik Mia abused me in an unspeakable manner, I lost my temper and hit him.” (sic.)A report by Kaler Kantha from 27 June noted that Bhuiyan had been arrested by the authorities for assaulting Manik.Other news outlets such as Desh TV and Somoy News TV also reported on this incident in Manikganj.Conclusion: An incident from Bangladesh where a Muslim man was attacked and his beard pulled has falsely gone viral as one from India.Clip of Awami League Leader Getting Attacked Viral With False Communal Claim(Not convinced of a post or information you came across online and want it verified? Send us the details on WhatsApp at 9540511818 , or e-mail it to us at webqoof@thequint.com and we’ll fact-check it for you. You can also read all our fact-checked stories here.)(At The Quint, we question everything. Play an active role in shaping our journalism by becoming a member today.)