In November 2025 a video of a large crowd passing through a gate in a barbed-wire fence was shared as illegal Bangladeshi immigrants leaving West Bengal because of the voter-roll revision (SIR). It is false: it shows a Kali idol immersion procession in a border village in Nadia district, and West Bengal Police publicly called the claim fake.
Claim: A "rush of Bangladeshis" was going back to Bangladesh after the SIR was ordered in West Bengal.
Said by: Pro-SIR posts on X, Facebook, Instagram and YouTube, including a former Jammu and Kashmir DGP.
What the record shows: The crowd was heading to immerse a Kali idol in the Mathabhanga river at Phunkotla village, Shikarpur, Nadia. The original was posted on 30 October 2025. Rumor Scanner
Where the claim came from
The Election Commission's Special Intensive Revision of voter rolls began in 12 states and Union Territories on 28 October 2025 and in West Bengal on 4 November. BJP leaders had long said illegal Bangladeshi migrants were on the state's rolls. Rumor Scanner
From 9 November 2025 the video circulated with captions such as "Rush of Bangladeshis going back to Bangladesh after SIR ordered in West Bengal". Among those who shared it was former J&K DGP S.P. Vaid. Alt News Rumor Scanner found it on X, including the account @AsiaWarZone, and on Facebook, Instagram and YouTube. It did not report view counts. Rumor Scanner
What the evidence shows
Documented Rumor Scanner found a live video posted on 30 October 2025 by Nadia resident Neha Mondal, captioned "Phunkotlar Shyama Mayer Biday Bela" (the farewell of Shyama Ma of Phunkotla). A section of it matches the viral clip. A second video posted the same day by Shikarpur resident Jayanta Ghosh showed similar scenes. Rumor Scanner
The village holds an annual Kali Puja at the Shri Shri Shyama Ma temple, and the idol is immersed in the Mathabhanga river near the border fence. The original posts came before the SIR started in West Bengal. Rumor Scanner Alt News reached the same finding, and a local police officer confirmed the location to it. Alt News
West Bengal Police On 25 November 2025 the state police said on X that a video of the idol immersion in Phunkotala village was being circulated "as illegal immigrants leaving the state en masse due to SIR", called it fake, and said it had no connection to any border crossing. Rumor Scanner
Context
Another viral "ghar wapsi" clip turned out to show garment workers commuting at Mongla Ghat in Bangladesh. BOOM Documented cases of Bangladeshi nationals holding Indian voter IDs do exist, but no official figure supports the scale claimed by politicians. Our West Bengal voter ID page sets out both.
Questions people ask
Where was the "Bangladeshis fleeing" video filmed?
At Phunkotla village in Shikarpur, Nadia district, West Bengal, during a Kali idol immersion procession posted on 30 October 2025.
Did West Bengal Police respond to the video?
Yes. On 25 November 2025 it said on X that the claim was fake and unrelated to any migrants crossing the border.
Did people leave West Bengal because of the SIR?
The most shared videos were false. Separate reports of queues at border points exist, but no official figure shows a mass exodus.
