Recently, a video of a showdown or rally has been circulated on social media with the claim: “A rally by the internationally banned militant organization Hizb ut-Tahrir at Dhaka University. Dhaka University has turned into a sanctuary for militancy. -18 March 25 | DU.”
In other words, it has been claimed that the circulated footage is from the 18th of March.
Additionally, the caption reads: “Banned militant organization Hizb ut-Tahrir is holding a rally at DU, yet militant Yunus administration remains silent. These people want a Caliphate. Whose Caliphate do they want, what Caliphate? What does Caliphate mean? Why are they carrying ISIS flags?”
Besides specifying a particular date, the video is being circulated on social media with the claim that the rally took place recently during the tenure of the interim government.
You can view such posts on Facebook here (archive), here (archive), here (archive).
See posts circulated on X (formerly Twitter) making such claims here (archive), here (archive), here (archive), here (archive), here (archive).
Additionally, during the U.S. State Department’s press briefing on March 19, journalist Golam Dastagir showed the widely discussed video to spokesperson Tammy Bruce and claimed that the footage depicts a large pro-Caliphate gathering at Dhaka University on March 18.
He also posted a photo on his Facebook profile showing himself holding a printed image from the video he presented at the event.
Fact-check
An investigation conducted by the Rumor Scanner team has revealed that the video being circulated on social media, purportedly showing a recent rally or showdown by the banned organization Hizb ut-Tahrir at Dhaka University, is not from recent times. The footage in question was actually recorded on 6 August, prior to the interim government assuming office, and is now being shared out of context to support the current narrative.
A review of the social media posts promoting this claim found no credible evidence to verify that the rally took place on 18 March, as alleged. The posts rely solely on the video without offering any verifiable proof to substantiate the date or context of the event.
Further investigation involved conducting reverse image searches on several keyframes from the video. This led to the identification of a Facebook post made by a user named Md. Abdul Karim on 6 August. The post featured the same video under the caption: “Hizb ut-Tahrir rally from Curzon Hall | What we need right now is a Caliphate government | Let my freedom not go in vain.”
A comparison between the circulated video and the discussed footage confirms they are identical.
Moreover, the same video, with the same caption, was also found posted on 7 August from another Facebook account named ‘Zarifnews Tarique.’ This further confirms that the video is not from recent times.
Meanwhile, on 8 August at around 9:15 PM, the interim government officially assumed power through a swearing-in ceremony held at Darbar Hall in Bangabhaban. The oath was administered by President Md. Sahabuddin.
Therefore, it is evident that the circulated video predates the interim government taking office.
It is worth mentioning that although the video being circulated is old and predates the interim government’s assumption of power, a recent rally did take place on 7 March. Following the Jummah prayers, a group carrying Hizb ut-Tahrir banners brought out a procession. Defying police barriers, the procession crossed Paltan intersection and moved towards Bijoynagar. At that time, police fired tear gas shells and sound grenades. Eventually, police baton-charged the rally, causing it to disperse.
Conclusion
An old video of a Hizb ut-Tahrir rally at Dhaka University’s Curzon Hall, recorded on 6 August before the interim government assumed power, is being circulated as footage of a recent rally held during the interim government’s tenure. The claim is therefore misleading.
Sources
- Md. Abdul Karim – Facebook Post
- Zarifnews Tarique – Facebook Post
- Kaler Kantho – অন্তর্বর্তীকালীন সরকারের শপথ গ্রহণ
