Fake photo card claims Khaleda Zia’s involvement in Ziaur Rahman’s murder
A photo card in the name of the news outlet Channel 24 has recently spread on the social media platform Facebook. It claims that new information has been found regarding the involvement of former prime minister Khaleda Zia in the assassination of Ziaur Rahman, founder of BNP and former president. However, Dismislab’s fact-check found that the photo card is fake.
On September 2, the photo card was posted from a Facebook profile, featuring a photo of Ziaur Rahman, carrying the headline, “54 years on, new information found on Khaleda Zia’s involvement in Ziaur Rahman’s murder” (verbatim). The post read, “Dig up the earthworm and out will come the venomous snake.”
The photo card displays the logo of the news outlet Channel 24. At the bottom of the card, the date “01 September 2026” is mentioned along with the outlet’s website address. As of the time this report was published, the post had received more than 1,100 reactions, around 200 comments, and been shared more than 250 times.
To verify this, Dismislab examined the photo cards and posts on Channel 24’s verified Facebook page from September 1. In the second stage, reports on the outlet’s website were verified.
The verification found that a photo card using the same image had indeed been posted from the news outlet’s Facebook page on September 1. However, that photo card’s headline read, “45 years on, new information found on Ziaur Rahman’s murder.” This photo card contained no mention of Khaleda Zia’s name or her involvement. No related information was found in the report linked in the comments either.
Examining the two photo cards side by side showed that while the image, logo, and design were identical, there was a factual discrepancy in the headlines. The original photo card read “45 years,” while the circulating photo card read “54 years.” Additionally, in the circulating card, the two portions reading “54 years on” and “new information found” were rendered in yellow font. An examination of the outlet’s photo cards showed that although yellow font is used in some cards, in those instances the font size is smaller than the main headline. In the circulating card, however, the yellow and white fonts are the same size.
To further verify, Dismislab contacted the news outlet. Mazhar Khandaker, online-in-charge of Channel 24, confirmed that they had not published any such photo card.
Fake photo cards edited to appear to be from news outlets and circulated on social media have previously been covered in Dismislab fact-check reports.
It is worth noting that former president Ziaur Rahman was killed during a military coup at the Chittagong Circuit House on May 30, 1981. Multiple news outlets have recently published reports stating that new information has emerged in a reinvestigation into the assassination of the BNP founder.
