Viral claim about Dhaka College student’s death is false
Numerous social media posts claiming the death of a student named Rakib during clashes between students of Dhaka University (DU) and its seven affiliated colleges have gone viral. The post included graphic cards bearing the logos of Daily Amar Desh and Jamuna Television, shared by multiple users. Some posts also featured these graphics cards in comments as supposed evidence of the claim. However, verification revealed that these media cards are fabricated. While Rakib was injured in the incident, he has not died, as confirmed by one of his friends. Analysis by Dismislab further shows that most posts spreading the false claim about Rakib’s death were shared from the Facebook pages and profiles associated with supporters of the Awami League.
Posts on Facebook (1, 2, 3) claim that, “A central executive committee member of the Anti-Discrimination Student Movement named Rakib was killed during a clash involving Dhaka College students.” The posts direct users to check the comments for the source of this claim. In the comments, a graphic card featuring the logo of Daily Amar Desh has been shared, with a headline stating, “Clash Between seven College and Dhaka University Students: Dhaka College Student Rakib Killed.” The graphic also includes an image of Rakib appearing bloodied. The same graphic has been shared widely on Facebook as both images (1, 2, 3) and videos (1, 2), spreading the claim of Rakib’s alleged death.
Using the same image, a graphic card purportedly from Jamuna TV has also been shared. In a Facebook post, the alleged fake Jamuna TV graphic card is accompanied by several other images claiming that Rakib has died. The headline on the graphic reads, “Dhaka College Student Rakib Dies After Being Shot in Nilkhet Clash.”
To verify the authenticity of the graphic cards shared on Facebook, Dismislab contacted Daily Amar Desh and Jamuna TV. Alfaz Anam, the associate editor of Dainik Amar Desh, stated, “This graphic card is fake. Our organization did not create such a card.” He further explained that the font used in the headline and a ‘Full stop’ at the end of the sentence are inconsistent with their standard design practices. Similarly, Rasel Ahmed, a special correspondent at Jamuna TV, confirmed that their organization did not create the graphic card circulating under their name. After being informed about the card, Jamuna TV later posted on its official Facebook page declaring the graphic card to be false information.
To confirm the latest condition of student Rakib, Dismislab contacted his friend, Jobayer Hossain, from Dhaka College. Jobayer clarified, “The information about Rakib’s death is not true. He was injured in the clash between Dhaka University and the Seven Colleges and was admitted to Dhaka Medical College Hospital. After undergoing an operation, he is currently under the observation of doctors.”
When contacted about the same incident, Zahid Ahsan, the office secretary of the Anti-Discrimination Student Movement, stated that Rakib has been injured and is currently hospitalized. He confirmed that the claim of Rakib’s death is false.
Who spread the false claim?
To identify who spread the fake claim of Rakib’s death and whether they have any political affiliations, Dismislab conducted a keyword search on Facebook. The first 100 posts containing the keyword ‘Rakib killed’ were analyzed. To determine political connections, the profiles and cover photos of users were examined, alongside the details in their bio. If a user indicated support for a political party, or had images of political leaders or ideologies in their profile or cover photo, they were considered supporters of that party. If no such indications were found, the frequency of posts supporting any specific political party was also examined.
The analysis revealed that out of the 100 posts, 88 were shared from pages or profiles supporting the Awami League. Among these, 69 pages or profiles were directly affiliated with the Awami League. These pages and profiles had cover or profile photos featuring Sheikh Hasina or Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, or their bio mentioned affiliations with the Awami League or its various affiliated wings. The remaining 19 profiles or pages, although not directly linked to the Awami League, had posted multiple times in support of the party. Only one post came from a profile supporting the Jatiyo Party, while 11 pages or profiles showed no political affiliation.
Notably, hundreds of students from seven colleges began protesting on the evening of January 26, demanding five key points. Around 10:30 PM, they marched towards the Vice-Chancellor’s residence at Dhaka University. Starting from 11:00 PM, clashes broke out between Dhaka University students and those from its affiliated colleges, resulting in at least five injuries.
