An old image of a monk serving food to Muslims has resurfaced in social media posts that falsely claimed it shows a Hindu priest who was killed by Islamists during the recent unrest in Bangladesh. AFP previously debunked false claims with the same image and identified the monk, while his religious organisation confirmed the photo was taken in India.
“Swami Nitai Das Ji Swami of ISKCON temple in Bangladesh… he organised Iftar for Muslims in the temple for 30 days. The same Muslims burned the temple down and killed the swami,” read the Hindi-language claim shared on Facebook on August 7.
Iftar is a meal taken by Muslims to break their fast during the holy month of Ramadan.
The photo shows a monk serving food to a number of men wearing traditional Muslim dress.
There have been multiple reports of violence against religious minorities in Bangladesh since prime minister Sheikh Hasina was ousted on August 5 following protests led by university students.
More than 450 people were killed during the protests that ultimately led Hasina to flee the country, AFP reported (archived link).
Rights groups and diplomats in Bangladesh have since raised concerns over reports of attacks on minorities. The Bangladesh Hindu Buddhist Christian Unity Council said at least 10 Hindu temples have been attacked by “miscreants”, AFP reported.
The image of the monk was shared with similar claims elsewhere on Facebook here and on social media platform X here.
But the photo, circulating online since 2016, does not show a Hindu priest killed in Bangladesh.
Photo from India
AFP previously debunked the photo in 2021 when it circulated online with a similar claim, after deadly violence in Bangladesh over the desecration of the Quran during a Hindu religious festival.
Combined reverse image and keyword searches on Google found the photo published in an article by UCA News on July 4, 2016 (archived link).
The headline reads: “Hindu group hosts fast breaking event for Muslims.”
The caption with the photo mentions the event was held at an International Society for Krishna Consciousness temple in Mayapur, a neighbourhood in Nadia district of eastern West Bengal state (archived link).
Below is a screenshot comparison of the image in the false post (left) and the picture shared in the 2016 article (right):
Yudhistir Govinda Das, ISKCON’s communications director in India, told AFP in November 2021 that the photo was taken in West Bengal.
Das identified the monk pictured as Ivan Antić, also known as Chaitanya Nitai Das, an ISKCON devotee from Croatia.
AFP in 2021 also contacted Antić, who confirmed he was the monk in the photo.
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