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.