Fact Check: Illegals fleeing WB? No, video shows Muslims attending religious event
While the video is from West Bengal, it's from January and shows people attending the Biswa Ijtema, a Muslim religious congregation.
India Today Fact Check
Following the Bharatiya Janata Party’s West Bengal victory, social media has been flooded with videos allegedly showing the mass migration of illegal immigrants from the state. One such video shows a very large crowd walking on and around a flyover.
Sharing the video on X, one person wrote, “Watch: The power of a single vote, West Bengal.” Another wrote, “Bengal is getting clean....It was a dream to see this. This is the power of the unity of Hindus and the power of voting BJP. Kanglus going back to their country.”
India Today Fact Check found that while the video is from West Bengal, it’s from January and therefore predates the BJP victory in the state. Also, it shows people attending the Biswa Ijtema, a Muslim congregation.
OUR PROBE
Upon reverse-searching frames from the viral video, we found a recent post that said it showed the Hooghly Ijtema 2026 in West Bengal. Using this clue, we found the same video uploaded to Instagram by a user named Sekh Ali on January 5, with “Puinan Istema” in the caption. The text visible on the video also reads, “Hooghly Bishwa Istema 2026 Highway block 15 km."
India Today Fact Check reached out to Ali, who confirmed that the viral clip was from the Hooghly Biswa Ijtema event and that he had shot the video.
The Biswa Ijtema is a large Islamic religious gathering where people come together for prayers and religious discussions. According to a January 2 report in The Statesman, the Biswa Ijtema began that day at Puinan in Dadpur, Hooghly, West Bengal, and would conclude on January five.
Organised by the Tablighi Jamaat, this was reportedly one of the world’s largest Islamic congregations, estimated to draw between 5 and 10 million participants from across the globe. The 2026 Biswa Ijtema was also reportedly held here after 33 years.
We also geolocated the place seen in the viral video using the location shared by Sekh Ali, the person who recorded the clip. The location matched the visuals seen in the viral footage.
Notably, this is not the first time a video from the Biswa Ijtema has gone viral with claims about the exodus of illegal immigrants. India Today Fact Check debunked one such claim just after the BJP’s West Bengal victory.
Thus, it’s clear that the viral claim is false.
Following the Bharatiya Janata Party’s West Bengal victory, social media has been flooded with videos allegedly showing the mass migration of illegal immigrants from the state. One such video shows a very large crowd walking on and around a flyover.
Sharing the video on X, one person wrote, “Watch: The power of a single vote, West Bengal.” Another wrote, “Bengal is getting clean....It was a dream to see this. This is the power of the unity of Hindus and the power of voting BJP. Kanglus going back to their country.”
India Today Fact Check found that while the video is from West Bengal, it’s from January and therefore predates the BJP victory in the state. Also, it shows people attending the Biswa Ijtema, a Muslim congregation.
OUR PROBE
Upon reverse-searching frames from the viral video, we found a recent post that said it showed the Hooghly Ijtema 2026 in West Bengal. Using this clue, we found the same video uploaded to Instagram by a user named Sekh Ali on January 5, with “Puinan Istema” in the caption. The text visible on the video also reads, “Hooghly Bishwa Istema 2026 Highway block 15 km."
India Today Fact Check reached out to Ali, who confirmed that the viral clip was from the Hooghly Biswa Ijtema event and that he had shot the video.
The Biswa Ijtema is a large Islamic religious gathering where people come together for prayers and religious discussions. According to a January 2 report in The Statesman, the Biswa Ijtema began that day at Puinan in Dadpur, Hooghly, West Bengal, and would conclude on January five.
Organised by the Tablighi Jamaat, this was reportedly one of the world’s largest Islamic congregations, estimated to draw between 5 and 10 million participants from across the globe. The 2026 Biswa Ijtema was also reportedly held here after 33 years.
We also geolocated the place seen in the viral video using the location shared by Sekh Ali, the person who recorded the clip. The location matched the visuals seen in the viral footage.
Notably, this is not the first time a video from the Biswa Ijtema has gone viral with claims about the exodus of illegal immigrants. India Today Fact Check debunked one such claim just after the BJP’s West Bengal victory.
Thus, it’s clear that the viral claim is false.