On July 16, following an attack on members of the National Citizens’ Party (NCP) after their rally in Gopalganj, Section 144 was imposed. In this context, a video was circulated on social media claiming that “A massacre is being carried out under the cover of night after Section 144 was imposed.”
It is worth noting that this video was also broadcast live on Facebook and that Sajib Wazed Joy, the son of former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, shared a post promoting this claim.
See posts circulating this claim on Facebook here: Here (archive), Here (archive), Here (archive), and Here (archive).
See posts promoting the same claim on X (formerly Twitter) here: Here (archive) and Here (archive).
Fact-check
Rumor Scanner team’s investigation found that the circulated video does not show scenes of law enforcement action in Gopalganj after Section 144 was imposed on July 16. Instead, the footage comes from a joint forces operation that took place in the Chand Uddyan area of Mohammadpur, Dhaka, during the night of February 19.
During the investigation, a video titled “Footage of the Chand Uddyan Operation in Mohammadpur” was found on the YouTube channel of mainstream media outlet Jamuna TV, published on February 22. A comparison between the scenes in that video and the one used in the recent claims shows they are the same.
Additionally, the video was also broadcast at that time on the Facebook page of Somoy News TV and on various other Facebook accounts.
Following these sources, an article titled “2 killed in ‘gunfight’ during joint forces operation in Mohammadpur: Police” was found on Prothom Alo’s website, published on February 20. From that report, it is learned: “Two people were killed in a ‘gunfight’ during a joint forces operation in the capital’s Mohammadpur. Tejgaon Division Deputy Commissioner of Police Ibn Mizan confirmed the information. According to police, the incident occurred around 1:00 AM on the night of February 19 in the Chand Uddyan area of Mohammadpur. The deceased were Jumon and Miraj. Police identified them as terrorists. The joint forces also detained five individuals from the scene.”
Furthermore, a similar report was found on the Bdnews24 website published on February 20. On the same day, the official verified Facebook page of the Bangladesh Army also posted a press release. The post stated: “Today (20 February) at approximately 0030 hours, based on intelligence that a group was preparing for a mugging, a joint forces team conducted an operation in the Chand Uddyan area of Mohammadpur. During the operation, when joint force members surrounded both ends of an alley, the terrorists opened fire unexpectedly from the roof of a single-story building. The team responded immediately in self-defence and managed to detain five terrorists with weapons. Later, two bodies were recovered from the roof of the building. From the detainees, a pistol, four rounds of bullets, and a machete were seized. The detainees have been handed over to the Mohammadpur police station for legal proceedings. Such operations will continue to protect the lives and property of the public.”
This confirms that the circulated video is not recent and the so-called “live” broadcast is also fake.
Conclusion
Thus, the footage from the joint forces operation in the Chand Uddyan area of Mohammadpur, Dhaka on the night of February 19, is being falsely circulated as a video showing law enforcement actions in Gopalganj after Section 144 was imposed on July 16. This claim is false.
Sources
- Jamuna TV – Footage of Chand Uddyan Operation in Mohammadpur
- Somoy News TV – Joint Forces Operation in Mohammadpur: What Really Happened
- Md Joynal Abedin Faruk – Facebook Post
- Prothom Alo – 2 Killed During Joint Forces Operation in Mohammadpur: Police
- Bdnews24 – Two Killed in Mohammadpur Operation by Joint Forces
- Bangladesh Army – Press Release
