Old video shared with claim of vote rigging in DUCSU election
A video has spread on social media claiming ballot rigging is taking place in the Dhaka University Central Students Union (DUCSU) election. But verification shows the video is more than a year old. The same video had appeared in June last year on the Facebook page of ‘Feni TV,’ which identifies itself as a local media outlet in Feni. At that time, it was described as showing a man stamping multiple ballots during the Chhagalnaiya Upazila Parishad election in Feni.
The 16-second video shows a man in a polo T-shirt repeatedly stamping papers that resemble ballots. Beside him, a ballot box is visible, with another man resting his hand on it. A third man is seen holding the stamp pad to assist. The video’s caption read: “By forcibly occupying every center in the DUCSU election, and with the help of the administration, the agents of all candidates, including Shibir, have been thrown out. A grand festival of vote rigging is going on by Chhatra Dal, by stamping ballots. They must be arrested right now, but the administration is not taking any action.” As of this report, the video has over 100,000 views and has been shared at least 2,900 times.
Dismislab ran reverse image searches using several keyframes from the clip. It found an identical 16-second video, posted on June 5, 2024, from a Facebook account named “Nazim Ullah Bhai’er Soinik.” (Translation: Soldier of Brother Nazim Ullah). The caption of that post said: “Everyone, look how they’re stamping the ballots.”
Further verification shows that the first 16 seconds of a one-minute video posted from the Facebook page “Feni TV” are identical to the recently circulated clip. Both were posted on the same date. The caption read: “Chagalnaiya Upazila Parishad Election 2024 — this voter stamped all the ballots alone.”
A keyword search shows that Prothom Alo published a report on June 5 last year about the Chhagalnaiya Upazila Parishad election in Feni, mentioning ballot stuffing and other irregularities.
In addition, 16 hours before the DUCSU election, an official notice was posted on the current official Facebook page of Dhaka University. It warned students about voting procedures, stating: “Mark a dark cross with the designated black ink pen in the square box next to your preferred candidate’s name.” The notice did not mention the use of stamp pads. This means stamping is not part of the DUCSU voting process. The notice was issued on 8 Sepember from the office of the chief returning officer.
Therefore, the video is not from the ongoing DUCSU election. It is an old clip, published on social media at least 15 months ago.
It is worth mentioning that, today, Sept. 9, the Dhaka University Central Students Union (DUCSU) and hall union elections are being held. Alongside mainstream news media, the elections are also a major topic of discussion on social media. Supporters of different candidates are campaigning online, while also trading allegations and counter-allegations.
