Fact Check | Viral video of Babri Masjid documentary screening is from India, not Bangladesh

What is the claim?

A video circulating on social media shows a crowd gathered around a large screen, purportedly displaying a projection of a documentary on the demolition of the Babri Masjid. The footage includes a Hindi voice-over narrating events leading up to the 1992 demolition in Ayodhya, in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh.

Those sharing the video claim the documentary was publicly screened in Bangladesh to incite Muslims against the Hindu minority community.

Sharing the clip on X (archived here), a user wrote, “This video is being shown in Bangladesh (translated from Hindi)." At the time of writing, the post had garnered over 94,000 views, 4,000 likes, and 875 reposts. 

Another user shared a slightly longer version, claiming (translated), “The demolition of Babri Masjid is being shown on a big screen in Bangladesh to incite the Muslim community against Hindus and provoke bloodshed. Leaders and clerics are challenging India’s prime minister to attack Bangladesh by any means.” Archived versions of this and similar posts can be seen here, here, and here.

Screenshots of the viral posts.

The video was actually recorded in Maharashtra, where the Social Democratic Party of India (SDPI) organized an event to present a documentary on the timeline of the Babri Masjid, from construction to demolition.

Where is the video from?

A reverse image search of keyframes from the video led to a post (archived here) on X by the Mumbra-Kalwa assembly of the SDPI, dated December 6, 2024. The post features a 10-second clip of the event, and the name "Social Democratic Party of India" is visible on the screen.

Screenshot of SDPI Mumbra Kalwa X post.

The caption reads, "Babri Masjid Timeline Exhibition | SDPI Mumbra at Darul Falah | A Journey Through History." It also links to a 4:09-minute YouTube video of the event (archived here). Both confirm that the screening was held in Mumbra, located in Maharashtra’s Thane district. SDPI flags are visible behind the screen in the footage.

The documentary narrated the construction of the Babri Masjid in 1528 and detailed events leading up to its demolition by a Hindu nationalist mob in 1992.

A similar video (archived here) was posted on the SDPI Mumbra Instagram page on December 7, 2024, stating the event was held at Darul Falah in Mumbra. A comparison of Google Maps imagery with the mosque shown in the video confirmed the location.

Comparison of the Instagram video and Google Maps imagery.

On December 6, the SDPI Mumbra Instagram account posted another video (archived here) featuring Sarfaraz Sheikh, general secretary of SDPI Mumbra-Kalwa. In the video, Sheikh invited people to attend the exhibition, commemorating 32 years since the Babri Masjid’s demolition.

Logically Facts contacted Sheikh, who refuted the claims about Bangladesh and confirmed the event took place near the Darul Falah mosque in Mumbra."We organized the exhibition to present the timeline of the Babri Masjid, from its construction to its demolition. It was an effort to raise awareness," Sheikh said.These findings conclusively show that the video depicts an event in Maharashtra, not Bangladesh.

The verdict

The claim that the video shows a public screening of the Babri Masjid demolition in Bangladesh to incite communal violence is false. The footage is from an SDPI-organized event in Mumbra, Maharashtra, marking 32 years since the mosque’s demolition.

This story was originally published by Logically Facts and republished by Deccan Herald as part of the Shakti Collective.