United News of Bangladesh

A short video circulating widely on social media claims to show BNP’s Acting Chairman Tarique Rahman being tortured by being suspended from the ceiling of a room. The 15-second clip shows a man being lowered by rope while three other individuals remain present in the room, seemingly as part of the act. However, a fact-check by UNB has confirmed that the video does not show Tarique Rahman, nor is it a recent recording. Rather, the footage is based on an old photograph taken on 26 January 2007 at a police station in Bogura. According to archived reports, the man seen hanging from the ceiling is Raton Kumar, who had been detained on 25 January 2007 over theft allegations. The photograph, showing Kumar tied and suspended from the ceiling in the duty officer's room, was originally published by The Daily Star at the time. Following public outrage after the image surfaced, a formal investigation was launched. As a result, several police personnel were suspended, including the officer-in-charge (OC) Shamsul Haque, sub-inspectors Manzur Rahman, Shariful Islam, Abdul Karim, and constable Nurul Islam. Police later stated that Raton Kumar, a resident of Dalpotti in Bogura town, had been suspected of heroin trafficking. A two-tola necklace was reportedly recovered from him during his detention. The image has recently resurfaced in a manipulated form. It has been digitally altered and converted into a short video using artificial intelligence tools. The manipulated clip falsely suggests that Tarique Rahman was subjected to the same form of custodial torture. Conclusion: The viral claim is false. The video does not depict Tarique Rahman. It is a digitally manipulated version of a 2007 image of a different incident involving a separate individual.    

A video circulating on social media has been misleadingly claimed to show a protest by SSC candidates demanding 'auto pass'. The video depicts students chanting slogans such as "Fire has ignited in our blood," "We have shed blood, we will shed more," and "In the flood of blood, injustice will drown."  Nowhere in the video do the students call for an 'auto pass' for the SSC examinations. Upon closer inspection, the students are seen holding a banner. Though the banner is somewhat obscured by a crowd, the upper part of it clearly reads, "Protest against the illegal 33% promotion of Craft Instructors." Besides, the middle portion of the banner indicates "Boycott Exams," while the bottom section shows "Rangpur Ideal." These details suggest that the protest is not related to the SSC exams but to a different issue. Fact-Check The video has been widely shared on Facebook groups, individual profiles, and TikTok over the past few days, falsely claiming that it shows students protesting for 'auto pass' in the 2024 SSC exams. The video was even shared by a Facebook group named "SSC Batch 2024 and 2025" on Sunday, April 6, with a caption stating, "We want auto pass in this year's SSC exams because our preparation has been poor due to the July Revolution movement and observing Ramadan. We will form a movement from our respective places. Our demand is one, we want auto pass." False Claims of Sheikh Hasina Being Moved to Hindol The video was also shared by another group called "Dreams Medicalian InshaAllah," perpetuating the same claim. However, a fact-check by the news agency UNB has revealed that the video actually shows a protest by students from Rangpur Ideal Institute of Technology. On March 21, students from various polytechnic institutes in Rangpur, including those from Rangpur Ideal Institute of Technology, staged a protest, boycotted exams, and held a human chain and rally. The protest was in response to the government's decision to grant a 30% promotion to Craft Instructors. During the protest, students also submitted a memorandum to the district commissioner demanding the cancellation of the promotion order. The video first appeared on TikTok from the account "Jehad155," with the caption "Remove the Crafts, Save Polytechnic." It was later misrepresented on social media as a protest demanding 'auto pass' for the SSC exams. The video is not related to the ongoing SSC exam protests but rather to the protests concerning the promotion of Craft Instructors in polytechnic institutions. This misinformation has been widely spread across social media, falsely associating it with the 'auto pass' demand.

A video circulating on Facebook claims that on Thursday, January 20, at 6 AM, Bangladesh’s former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina was moved from New Delhi to the Indian state of Hindol under special security arrangements by the Indian government. During this time, she reportedly delivered a message for Amar Ekushey. In the video, a convoy of vehicles is seen moving along a foggy highway while a police officer is seen saluting it. Towards the end of the video, an image of an armed security force dressed in black is shown. Fact-Check The claim that Sheikh Hasina was moved to Hindol, which was posted on Facebook on February 20 from the profile of Nasima Sultana Mohua, is false. A fact-check by news agency UNB found that the video in question is actually from January 5, 2022. It shows Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi canceling his visit to Ferozepur in Punjab due to adverse weather conditions. This video has been broadcast by several Indian media outlets, including Hindi-language news channel ABP News. Reports state that Narendra Modi was on his way to Bhatinda district in Punjab and was scheduled to fly back to New Delhi from there. The scene in question appears 2 minutes and 16 seconds into a 3-minute and 3-second video published by ABP News.