Disinformation spreads in India about Shyamoli bus accident in Brahmanbaria

Fact-checking website Rumour Scanner on Tuesday reported that several Indian media outlets are spreading disinformation about a road accident involving a Shyamoli Paribahan bus on the Dhaka-Agartala-Dhaka route in Bangladesh.

According to these reports, a Bangladeshi truck allegedly collided deliberately with the Shyamoli Paribahan bus in Brahmanbaria, Bangladesh.

Additionally, it is being claimed that local residents later threatened to kill the Indian passengers on the bus, and various anti-India slogans were allegedly raised in front of them.

The Transport Minister of the Indian state of Tripura, Sushant Chowdhury, also shared this claim in a post on his Facebook page, which has been widely circulated among Indian Facebook users.

However, Rumour Scanner’s investigation found that the claim of a deliberate collision between a Bangladeshi truck and the Shyamoli Paribahan bus, which was carrying Indian passengers from Agartala to Dhaka, is false.

The claims of harassment of Indian passengers are also untrue. In reality, misinformation is being spread about the incident, which was caused by "overtaking."

To address the false claims, Rumour Scanner referred to a report titled "An Indian bus in Brahmanbaria was not attacked, but it was an accident," published on the Independent Television website on 1 December.

The report revealed that, in response to the information circulating in the Indian media, the Brahmanbaria police held a press conference on 1 December. The bus driver, Asadul Haque, was also present at the conference.

At the press conference, the police explained that the bus of Shyamoli Paribahan, a Bangladeshi transport company, was traveling from Agartala, India to Dhaka via Brahmanbaria on Saturday afternoon. As the bus passed through the Chandiara area of Suhilpur in Sadar Upazila, Brahmanbaria, a truck attempted to overtake it.

In the process, the bus veered left and collided with a three-wheeled vehicle (rickshaw-van). The van was damaged, and the driver was injured.

An argument then broke out between the Shyamoli Paribahan bus driver, Asadul Haque, and the rickshaw van driver, Ibrahim. Upon receiving the report, the Highway Police arrived at the scene and mediated a discussion between the bus authorities and the van owner, resolving the matter. The bus then continued its journey to Dhaka. There was no attack or any anti-national statements made during the incident.

At the time of the accident, there were 17 Indian and nine Bangladeshi passengers on the bus, none of whom were harmed.

Shyamoli Paribahan bus driver Md. Asadul Haque stated at the press conference that there was no argument or any trouble between the local people and the Indian passengers on the bus. He expressed surprise upon seeing news in the Indian media claiming that the bus had been attacked.

District Superintendent of Police Md. Jabedur Rahman addressed the incident, stating that false information was being spread by various Indian media outlets regarding what was simply an accident. To clarify the situation, the driver and other relevant individuals were brought together for the press conference to provide the truth.

The news also includes a video report published about the press conference in question.

Additionally, a report titled "Attack on Bus Coming from India or Accident? Driver Reveals the Real Incident" was found on Channel 24’s YouTube channel on the same day, providing the same information.

Rumor Scanner later discovered a video post on X (formerly Twitter) from Sidhant Sibal, an associate editor at the Indian media outlet WION News, through a keyword search.

In the caption of the post, the Indian journalist stated that the passengers of the bus involved in the accident were not subjected to any kind of harassment. In the video attached to the post, several passengers can be heard confirming this.

It is also worth noting that on 1 December, a report titled "Lies are being spread in various Indian media outlets over the accident: Brahmanbaria police superintendent" was published in Prothom Alo.

Rumour Scanner confirms that the claims circulating about a deliberate attack on a Shyamoli Paribahan bus, carrying Indian passengers from Agartala, India, to Dhaka, Bangladesh, in Brahmanbaria are completely false.