Old video resurfaces falsely claiming weapon recovery at Rajshahi University
A video showing a large number of weapons lined up has recently gone viral on Facebook. Several claims have been made about the video–some allege it shows recovered weapons found in the room of the president of Chhatra Shibir (student wing of Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami) at the University of Rajshahi, while others claim the weapons were found in the room of the Chhatra Dal (student wing of Bangladesh Nationalist Party-BNP) president of the same public university. However, verification shows both these claims are baseless. The video is unrelated to any weapons recovered from members of any student wings of Rajshahi University. Instead, it is a six-month old video, showing recovered weapons looted from Tongibari Police Station in Munshiganj, which were later handed over to the police by army personnel following the fall of Sheikh Hasina’s government.
Multiple Facebook users (1, 2, 3) have shared the video, depicting numerous firearms neatly arranged in rows. Some users (1, 2, 3) claimed that the video showed weapons recovered by the army from the room of the Chhatra Shibir president at Rajshahi University’s Nawab Abdul Latif Hall. One user further alleged that such incidents contribute to looting, robbery, and mob justice in the country and accused Chhatra Shibir of attempting to fuel militancy in Bangladesh. Another user labeled Rajshahi University as a “Fort of Shibir,” stating, “The interim government has a major role in supporting Shibir.”
Additionally, a Facebook profile named Amar Desh, impersonating a well-known newspaper, also shared the video, claiming that the weapons were recovered from the room of the Chhatra Dal president at Nawab Abdul Latif Hall.
The official page of Daily Amar Desh has since clarified that the profile “Amar Desh” and the viral video it posted are not associated with the newspaper.
An analysis of the one-minute-three-second video shows a large number of rifles and shotguns arranged on a table covered with a white piece of cloth. At the 11-second mark, another table covered with a green cloth, is seen holding pistols, handcuffs, walkie-talkies, and a white rectangular box. Several police officers, military personnel, and civilians are seen gathered around the tables. A voice in the video instructs people not to touch any of the weapons on the table.
A reverse image search of key frames from the video revealed that the footage was originally posted six months ago. On August 18 last year, a Facebook profile named Top News shared the same video with the Top News logo. The post’s caption read, “Army handed over looted weapons to police in Tongibari Police Station, Munshiganj.” This confirms that the video is not recent but is rather over six-month old, and is now being circulated with misleading claims, likely with political motives.
Further keyword searches led to a report published on August 23, 2024, by a YouTube channel named “News71TV Munshigonj,” covering the same event. From the seventh second of the video, the same white and green fabric-covered tables, along with the weapons, handcuffs, and walkie-talkies seen in the viral clip, are clearly visible. The title and description confirm that the video depicts the looted weapons from Tongibari Police Station in Munshiganj, which were later recovered by the military and formally handed over to the police.
Additional keyword searches on Google revealed that Kaler Kantho, Daily Post, and Channel 24, among other media outlets, had reported on the incident. According to these reports, after the ousting and departure of former prime minister Sheikh Hasina, criminals looted police stations in Munshiganj Sadar, police outposts, and Tongibari Police Station on August 5. Military operations led to the recovery of the stolen weapons and ammunition. A significant portion of the looted firearms from Munshiganj Sadar and Tongibari police stations were retrieved and later formally handed over to the police. On August 18, the recovered weapons were officially returned to law enforcement in the presence of senior officials at the Munshiganj Circuit House Army Camp.
