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Fact check ยท West Bengal

Does the "ghar wapsi" river queue video show Bangladeshis leaving Bengal? No

The clip was shared after the SIR was announced in November 2025. BOOM traced it to daily commuters at a ferry ghat in Mongla, Khulna division, far from the Indian border.

Published 9 Oct 2026Updated 9 Oct 20263 min readBy Facts of India

A video of a long queue at a riverside ghat was shared in November 2025 as illegal Bangladeshi migrants doing "ghar wapsi" (going home) from West Bengal after the SIR was announced. That is false: the clip shows garment workers on their daily commute at Mongla Ghat, in Bangladesh.

False

Claim: "Illegals doing 'Ghar Wapsi' as soon as SIR is announced in West Bengal."

Said by: Social media posts, including a verified X account and the right-wing handle Kreately.in.

What the record shows: The video shows women workers commuting from old Mongla to the export zone in Khulna division, Bangladesh. It is not a border crossing.

Where the claim came from

The Election Commission announced Phase II of the Special Intensive Revision (SIR), including West Bengal, on 27 October 2025, and enumeration began on 4 November. Wikipedia Within days, posts claimed that illegal migrants were fleeing.

A verified X account posted the river-queue video with the caption: "Illegals doing 'Ghar Wapsi' as soon as SIR is announced in West Bengal." The handle Kreately.in posted it with a similar claim. BOOM did not report view counts. BOOM

What the evidence shows

False BOOM split the video into keyframes and ran a reverse image search. It led to Independent Television, a Bangladeshi channel, whose report showed a closely matching photo of daily commuters at Mongla Ghat in Khulna. BOOM

BOOM Bangladesh then contacted local journalist Md. Jasimuddin of Banglavision Television, who confirmed the location. "The video is from Mongla. It is not a border," he said. He said it shows women workers going from old Mongla to the export processing zone, a scene seen every morning. BOOM

Factly and Fact Crescendo reached the same conclusion: the video was filmed in Bangladesh, not at the West Bengal border. Factly Fact Crescendo

BOOM published its finding on 15 November 2025.

Context

Real queues did form. BSF officials at the Hakimpur post in North 24 Parganas said about 1,600 Bangladeshi nationals had returned by 21 November 2025, and a BSF official later put the total at "at least 25,000" since 4 November. All India Radio ThePrint

A second viral "exodus" video, showing a crowd passing through a gate in a fence, was a Kali Puja idol immersion crowd in Nadia district. Alt News Fake videos make real figures harder to judge. The data is on our West Bengal voter-ID page.

Questions people ask

Where was the "ghar wapsi" river video filmed?

At Mongla Ghat in Khulna division, Bangladesh. It shows women garment workers on their daily commute.

Did Bangladeshis really leave Bengal after the SIR?

Yes, some did. BSF figures rose from about 1,600 by 21 November 2025 to at least 25,000 by May 2026, but this video does not show them.

Were other exodus videos fake?

Yes. A widely shared clip of a crowd at a fence gate was a Kali idol immersion procession in Nadia district.

Sources

  1. Wikipedia: Special Intensive Revision, accessed Oct 2026
  2. BOOM: Video from Mongla, Bangladesh falsely linked to SIR, 15 Nov 2025
  3. Factly: Video filmed in Bangladesh falsely shared, Nov 2025
  4. Fact Crescendo: Video from Bangladesh falsely shared, 15 Nov 2025
  5. All India Radio: Thousands leaving after SIR launch, 21 Nov 2025
  6. ThePrint: 150 Bangladeshis checked at Hakimpur, BSF data, 28 May 2026
  7. Alt News: Viral video shows Kali idol immersion crowd, 24 Nov 2025