Recently, a video has been widely circulated in the media and online claiming that a Chhatra League activist was arrested while fleeing in a burqa.
See the posts broadcast on the media Facebook pages: Janakantha, Boishakhi TV.
In addition, Ittefaq also posted the video with the same claim but later removed it. However, by that time, Ittefaq’s video had already spread from various Facebook accounts.
See the Facebook posts shared here: Video 1 (Archive), Video 2 (Archive).
Watch the video broadcast on YouTube here: YouTube Shorts (Archive), YouTube Full Video (Archive).
Watch the video posted on Instagram here: Instagram Reel 1 (Archive), Instagram Reel 2 (Archive).
See the TikTok post here: TikTok.
From an account named ‘Voice of Bangladeshi Hindus’ on X, the video was posted with the claim (Archive) that a Rohingya Muslim was caught stealing in a Hindu household.
Fact Check
The Rumor Scanner Team’s investigation reveals that the young man detained by police at the checkpost while wearing a burqa is not a Chhatra League activist. In fact, on the night of July 23, this young man was detained wearing a burqa during a police search operation at Shalbagan police checkpost in Hnila, Teknaf. He is a Rohingya refugee.
During the investigation, a report titled “With Hijab on Head, Burqa on Body, Caught in Search – He’s a Man” was found on Prothom Alo’s website dated July 24. A specific frame from the video being circulated matches the featured image used in that report.
The report states that police detained a young man wearing a black hijab on his head, socks on his hands and feet, and a burqa on his body. He was caught trying to re-enter the camp after having left it undetected. The incident occurred on the night of Wednesday, July 23, at the Shalbagan police checkpost in Hnila, Teknaf. Disguised as a woman, he was trying to enter the Rohingya refugee camp. He is a resident of the same camp. His name is Rashid Ahmed (27), son of Farid Ahmed from Rohingya Refugee Camp No. 26 in Hnila, Teknaf, Cox’s Bazar.
According to police sources cited in the report, the Rohingya youth is suspected of engaging in criminal activity after leaving the camp. Therefore, he tried to escape law enforcement and return in disguise.
Muhammad Gias Uddin, Officer-in-Charge of Teknaf Model Police Station, told Prothom Alo: “The youth wearing a burqa was walking across the checkpost. His movement raised suspicion, so he was questioned. He couldn’t answer properly. Later, he was detained. We’re interrogating him to find out why he was out in a burqa. Legal action is being taken against him.”
Additionally, reports published by national dailies Jugantor, Samakal, and Chattogram-based local daily Dainik Azadi also confirmed the same information.
All these reports identified the young man as a Rohingya refugee. None mentioned any political affiliation.
To further verify the information, Rumor Scanner Team also spoke to a local journalist in Teknaf and the Officer-in-Charge (OC) of Teknaf Model Police Station.
Gias Uddin, Prothom Alo’s Teknaf correspondent, confirmed that the detainee is a Rohingya and has no political affiliation.
Muhammad Gias Uddin, OC of Teknaf Model Police Station, also confirmed that the detained individual is a Rohingya refugee.
Conclusion
Therefore, the incident where a Rohingya youth disguised as a woman in a burqa was detained during a search operation in Teknaf, Cox’s Bazar, has been falsely reported in the media as the arrest of a Chhatra League activist fleeing in a burqa. This claim is false.
Sources
- Prothom Alo: With Hijab on Head, Burqa on Body, Caught in Search – He’s a Man
- Jugantor: Youth Caught Trying to Enter Rohingya Camp in Burqa
- Dainik Azadi: Rashid Caught While Entering Rohingya Camp in Hijab and Burqa
- Samakal: Rohingya Youth Caught Roaming Teknaf in Burqa
- Statement: Gias Uddin, Prothom Alo, Teknaf Correspondent
- Statement: Muhammad Gias Uddin, Officer-in-Charge, Teknaf Model Thana
