On May 22, 2025, Chief Advisor Dr. Muhammad Yunus expressed thoughts of resignation during a regular advisory council meeting. He cited challenges stalling government initiatives, including frequent protest-related road blockades, lack of political party consensus on reforms, non-cooperation from critical state stakeholders, and profound frustration with the nation’s current state. This triggered widespread debates on social media and other platforms. Concurrently, Rumor Scanner noted a surge in misinformation, debunking at least 16 false claims regarding Dr. Yunus’s potential resignation through fact-checking reports from May 22 to May 25, 2025.
Analysis of fact-checks on rumors about Dr. Yunus’s resignation shows that false information implicated Dr. Yunus in eight cases, Advisor Dr. Asif Nazrul in one, and Advisor Wahiduddin Mahmud in one. Additionally, Nahid Islam, convener of the National Citizens’ Party, was linked to one piece of misinformation, Hasnat Abdullah, the party’s southern region chief organizer, to two, and Tasnim Zara, the party’s senior joint secretary, to one. False information also involved Dr. Shafiqur Rahman, Amir of Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami. The army and armed forces were also implicated. Modern technology, including deepfake videos, was used to spread such misinformation.
Rumor Scanner’s analysis of false information revealed that out of 16 fact-checks, seven involved distorted statements attributed to political leaders, some of which were entirely fabricated. These false claims were spread using fake media photocards.
Additionally, five instances used old videos to falsely link them to the recent issue of Dr. Yunus’s resignation. One such video, showing Dr. Yunus giving a speech, was two months old. A Facebook Live video of Advisor Dr. Asif Nazrul was circulated, falsely claiming the Chief Justice had resigned, but verification showed it was from August 10 of the previous year. Similarly, old videos were misused to spread misinformation about the Bangladesh Army. Footage from last year’s quota reform movement, showing army patrols in various parts of the capital, was falsely presented as evidence that the Bangladesh Army had taken control of Dhaka’s Shahjalal International Airport amid Dr. Yunus’s resignation rumors. Rumor Scanner also identified a deepfake video circulated to claim Dr. Yunus announced his resignation.
In the spread of political misinformation, the use of derogatory language against female politicians was notable, alongside the prominent use of fake and edited media photocards to make disinformation appear credible. In this single issue, about 56% of the misinformation was spread using fake and edited photocards in the name of media outlets such as Kaler Kantho, BBC Bangla, Jamuna TV, Samakal, Jugantor, and Face the People.
Regarding the rumors of Dr. Yunus’s resignation, some false claims suggested that former Army Chief Iqbal Karim Bhuiya stated, “Dr. Yunus did the right thing by preparing to leave the country; a military government is the only way to save present-day Bangladesh from destruction, so everyone should be ready for a military coup.” Others circulated a supposed press release bearing the Bangladesh Armed Forces’ logo, attributed to “soldiers and junior officers of the Bangladesh Army, Navy, and Air Force,” claiming, “This incompetent government is a threat to national security. We feel the urgent need to remove this advisory council and form a new interim government with representatives from political parties.” In reality, this press release was fake.
Check the fact-checks here.
Message Sender
Tanvir Mahtab Abir
Senior Fact-Checker,
Rumor Scanner Bangladesh.
[email protected]
