FactCheck: Old Bangladesh video falsely shared as demolition of Kolkata airport mosque

Claim: A viral video shows authorities demolishing the 136-year-old Gauripur Jama Masjid near Kolkata airport to facilitate expansion of the airport’s second runway.

Verdict: Misleading

What is the claim?

A video circulating on social media is being presented as evidence that Indian authorities demolished a historic mosque located inside the Kolkata airport complex. Posts sharing the footage claim that the 136-year-old Gauripur Jama Masjid was demolished to make way for the expansion of the airport’s second runway. The video shows a crowd damaging and demolishing a building, but the footage does not show the Kolkata airport mosque.

What did we find?

An investigation found that the viral footage is old and originates from Bangladesh, not India. Recent reports have confirmed that there have been discussions surrounding the relocation of the historic mosque located within the Kolkata airport’s operational area. In May 2026, efforts to relocate the mosque reportedly gained momentum, with officials inspecting the site and holding discussions with representatives of the mosque. In July, access to the mosque was reportedly suspended indefinitely. Airport authorities cited security concerns regarding access based solely on Aadhaar cards. However, no report reviewed in the investigation stated that the mosque had actually been demolished.

The viral video is from Bangladesh

A reverse-image search of keyframes from the viral footage led to an earlier Facebook video showing the same visuals. The accompanying Bengali-language reporting identified the structure as the house of Mustafa Pramanik, who was accused in the rape and murder case of a 10-year-old schoolgirl, Kamrunnahar Koli, in Pabna, Bangladesh. Reports said local residents attacked and vandalised Pramanik’s house following the incident. A September 18 report from Bangladesh described residents attacking and damaging the house in Kulunia village of Dogachi union in Pabna Sadar upazila. Multiple other Bangladeshi reports also carried accounts of the incident, while a video report by Ekushey TV showed the demolition of the accused man’s house. These reports match the visuals circulating in the viral social media posts.

The footage does not match the Kolkata mosque

The investigation also compared images of the Kolkata airport mosque with the building shown in the viral video. Available images of the mosque did not match the structure seen in the footage. In particular, the mosque images reviewed did not show the distinctive blue-coloured tiles visible in the viral video. This further indicates that the footage is unrelated to the mosque near Kolkata airport.

What is the actual situation with the mosque?

The 136-year-old mosque has been at the centre of discussions over airport expansion and security. According to reports cited in the investigation, the mosque is located deep inside the airport’s operational area. Authorities have discussed relocating it because of its location next to the secondary runway and related security considerations. Access to the mosque was also reportedly stopped indefinitely in July 2026. However, the investigation found no credible report confirming that the mosque had been demolished. The existence of a real dispute over the mosque’s location appears to have been used to give the unrelated Bangladesh footage a misleading context.

Conclusion

The viral video does not show the demolition of the historic mosque near Kolkata airport. The footage corresponds to an incident in Pabna, Bangladesh, where local residents attacked and demolished the house of a man accused in the rape and murder of a 10-year-old girl. Although there have been recent developments concerning the relocation and access to the 136-year-old mosque near Kolkata airport, the available evidence does not establish that the mosque was demolished. Misleading. An old video from Bangladesh showing residents demolishing a house has been falsely linked to the Kolkata airport mosque. The mosque has been the subject of relocation and security discussions, but the investigation found no report confirming its demolition.