Staff Reporter:
Fact-checking organisation FactWatch has identified a misinformation campaign spread on social media using a video from India to falsely claim that activists of Jubo Dal attacked a female coordinator in Bangladesh.
According to FactWatch, the viral video circulated on Facebook with a caption claiming that activists of Jubo Dal assaulted a coordinator named “Nilima” in Bangladesh at midnight.
However, an investigation conducted by the organisation found that the footage was not from Bangladesh but from an entirely different incident that took place in India.
FactWatch said its investigation team conducted a reverse image search using key frames extracted from the viral video and found a matching video published on May 19 on the official X account of Press Trust of India (PTI).
The organisation said the incident actually occurred in the Giri Road area of Berhampur city in India’s Odisha state. Local Indian media outlets also published reports on the incident.
According to FactWatch, the video has no connection with Bangladesh, and claims linking it to any student coordinator or political party in the country are completely baseless.
After analysing all available information, the organisation identified the Facebook posts as false.
Fact-checking organisations said the spread of misinformation involving Bangladesh has increased on various local and international media platforms, social media accounts and Facebook pages since the mass uprising of 2024.
According to them, such disinformation campaigns have particularly targeted BNP after the formation of the government.
FactWatch said it has been working to counter rumours and false information circulating in the country. The organisation is an independent fact-checking initiative approved by the University of Liberal Arts Bangladesh and operated by the Center for Critical and Qualitative Studies.
The organisation also said incidents of spreading fake videos, misleading information and rumours on social media have increased recently, and it has been regularly verifying such claims and working to prevent misinformation.
