Photo of DC Masud Clamping BUET Protester’s Mouth Not AI-Generated

31 August, 2025 11:21 am

On August 27, as part of the pre-announced ‘Long March to Dhaka’ program for their three-point demand, engineering university students gathered at Shahbag. Around 1:30 PM, as they started marching towards the Chief Adviser’s official residence, Jamuna, police stopped them in front of the Intercontinental Hotel. During this time, sound grenades, tear gas, water cannons, and batons were used. Many students were injured, and reports indicated some police members were also hurt. Following this incident, the protesting students demanded the dismissal of Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) Ramna Division’s Deputy Commissioner (DC) Md. Masud Alam.

Subsequently, on August 28, the Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) claimed in a Facebook post that misinformation was being spread about DC Masud Alam using AI technology. The photo in question shows him holding the face of a protesting student.

See the post circulated on DMP’s Facebook page: here. See the report on DMP’s news portal: here.

See a report from an online portal with the same claim: Bangla Edition.

See some posts circulated on Facebook: here, here, here.

Fact-check

An investigation by the Rumor Scanner team found that the photo of DMP Ramna Division’s DC Masud Alam holding a protesting student’s face is not generated by Artificial Intelligence (AI). In reality, the DMP has claimed a real photo was AI-generated.

At the beginning of the investigation, the Rumor Scanner team closely observed the photo in question. The analysis found no AI-related inconsistencies. Typically, AI-generated images show abnormalities such as unnatural reflections, distorted hands or facial features, errors in text, or deficiencies in fine details. However, the photo in question shows none of these signs.

Further investigation led to a photo of the same incident published on the Facebook profile of Bangladesh Pratidin’s photojournalist, Joyeeta Roy, at 1:06 AM on August 28. Rumor Scanner contacted Joyeeta Roy and obtained the original copy of the photo via email. An analysis of the metadata shows that the photo was taken at 2:50 PM on August 27.

Additionally, different versions of the same photo were found in several mainstream media outlets.

On August 28, a report on the Kaler Kantho website titled ‘Shahbag turbulent with blockades and clashes’ used a photo of the same incident. The caption mentioned that police baton-charged engineering students at the Intercontinental Hotel intersection as they tried to march towards the Chief Adviser’s residence, Jamuna. The photo was credited to Kaler Kantho’s chief photojournalist, Sheikh Hasan.

On the same day, a photo published in Manab Zamin also showed the same scene. The caption identified it as a picture of a police baton charge on protesting students at Shahbag.

On August 28, [suspicious link removed] published a photo of the same incident on its Facebook page. The caption stated that the picture, taken by The Business Standard’s photojournalist Rajib Dhar on August 27, shows a police officer holding the face of a protesting student while police use a water cannon to disperse the engineering students’ procession towards the Chief Adviser’s official residence, Jamuna, on Minto Road in Dhaka.

Furthermore, videos posted on the Facebook pages of ATN Bangla News and Channel One on August 27 also show scenes of a scuffle between the police and the same protesting student seen in the photo.

Therefore, the DMP has falsely claimed that a real photo of a police officer holding a protesting student’s face was AI-generated.