Misinformation spreads over Khagrachari conflict

Recently, a series of photos and videos supposedly related to the Khagrachari conflict have been circulating on social media with varying claims. While many of these are accurate, some posts containing false claims have also been widely shared. Several posts have alleged a staged injury drama, political violence, the role of the administration, and the abduction of an army member. However, verification has confirmed that these claims are false and that old photos and videos from different events are being used and disseminated as being from Khagrachari. Dismislab’s fact-check has confirmed that at least five claims circulating around this ongoing conflict are false.

False claim 1

A video shared as a Facebook Reel claims that a Chakma individual in Khagrachari is staging an injury drama by applying paint (to simulate blood). The description of this reel, shared from a profile named “Gono Odhikar Parishad,” reads: “The drama of a Chakma from Khagrachhari. Acting with color on his face (feigning blood).” The video shows an individual with a cloth resembling a gamcha (thin cotton towel) tied around his head, speaking while appearing bloody. While the 15-second video initially shows him crying, he is seen smiling at the 13-second mark. The same video has been posted on Facebook (1, 2) and Instagram (1, 2).

Dismislab performed a keyframe search to verify the source of the video. The search revealed that it was first posted on 18 July this year from a profile named “Kalseng Sangma Page.” Analysis shows that the category for this page is listed as “Actor.” Verification of the profile’s transparency indicates its primary location is India. The Instagram profile of the same individual also lists the location as India. The profile regularly posts entertainment-based videos. In multiple photos and videos, the individual is seen with banners of various competitions, where the location is mentioned as the South West Garo Hills of Meghalaya, India (1, 2, 3). On August 15, 2025, India’s Independence Day, the same Facebook profile posted a photo and a video where the person seen in the video is shown carrying and saluting the Indian flag.

False claim 2

A photo of a person holding a weapon was shared on Facebook, citing the date September 27, 2025, and claiming that Pahari Bengalis (Bangalee settlers in the hills) launched an armed attack on the Jumma (an indigenous community) people in the Mahajanpara area in broad daylight. This photo was shared on another profile along with two other images making the same claim. Furthermore, a report claiming to be about the Khagrachari incident was published on September 28, also featuring the photo. The report stated: “Local residents reported that the authorities of Guimara Upazila (sub-district) in Khagrachari district fired upon peacefully protesting Rakhine students. The protest originated from the gang-rape of a 12-year-old Rakhine schoolgirl by three Bengalis in the Chittagong Hill Tracts area.”

However, a reverse image search to verify the authenticity of the widely circulated photo led to a report by The Daily Star. The report stated that the photo was taken in the Enayet Bazar area of Chittagong during the July movement of the previous year. The other photo was traced through a video report by the daily Ittefaq. That report stated that the incident in the photo was a clash and chase between inmates at Rangpur Central Jail in August 2024.

These one-year-old photos are being circulated by various media outlets and Facebook users with claims of being recent, and they have no connection to the ongoing Khagrachari conflict.

False claim 3

A video claiming that an army member was abducted by the Paharis (Hill people) in Khagrachari has been circulating from multiple profiles  and pages on Facebook (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9). The caption reads, “The Paharis had taken the army member, he was rescued after about two hours, but upon rescue, his condition was found to be very critical.” The video was also  circulating on X with the same claim.

To verify the authenticity of the claim, a search using multiple keyframes from the video located a video on the official YouTube channel of the daily Ittefaq. In that report, broadcast on July 22, 2025, the correspondent says that it was an incident from the Secretariat . Analysis shows that the 6-second video circulated with the claim of being from Khagrachari is an exact match for the 25 to 31-second segment of the 2:36-minute long video. The same incident was also broadcast as being from the Secretariat by another news outlet, Kaler Kantho.

False claim 4

A 4-second video circulating on social media shows an individual wearing a white vest walking forward with a mobile phone in hand. In front of him is an individual wearing a helmet and carrying a gun. Behind them, some other individuals are seen running forward with mobile phones in their hands. The post’s caption reads, “Paharis attack Army-BGB violating Section 144, looting weapons…”. The video has been shared with the same claim from multiple Facebook profiles (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7).

To verify the incident, a search using keyframes from the video located a 14-second video on YouTube, the first 4 seconds of which are identical to the circulating video. Its description reads, “Gengi Protest Nepal Kathmandu. Movement Live.” A reverse image search of the YouTube video yielded a Street View suggestion resembling a red archway seen in the video, with the location being Kathmandu’s Ring Road. Analysis shows the environment around the Guashala Police Circle on Kathmandu’s Ring Road in Google Street View matches the area visible in the circulating video.

In the Google Maps Street View, a green-colored signboard is seen at the 3-second mark of the circulating video. A similar green signboard is visible in the Street View, with a white structure behind the signboard. In front of the structure is a red brick wall. The green signboard and this structure are noticeable in the Guashala Police Circle on Google Street View.

Therefore, the location shown in the video is not a scene from the ongoing Khagrachari conflict but a view of the Police Circle on the Ring Road in the Guashala area of Kathmandu city, Nepal.

False claim 5

A 12-second video was shared from a social media page, claiming it was a nighttime scene from Mahajanpara in Khagrachari. The video shows a car and some motorcycles moving from one side of the road to the other. At this time, an object is launched into the sky from the car, and sparks of fire and smoke are seen. Several people on the road are seen running scattered in different directions. The description reads, “Khagrachari Mahajan Para nighttime scene even more terrifying, may Allah protect everyone, Ameen.” The same video has been seen circulating with the same claim from multiple other Facebook pages and profiles (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6).

To verify the authenticity of the incident, Dismislab ran multiple searches using multiple keyframes and relevant keywords from the video. The search revealed another video that is an exact match. A two-minute video posted on August 30 on an Instagram account named Martapurapedia has an exact match with the video circulated as being from Khagrachari, specifically between the 5-second and 17-second mark. The description of the Instagram video reads, “The demo continues on Solo until there are no casualties – Friday, August 29, 2025. Hopefully, my Indonesia will return to normal quickly.”

To verify the precise location where the video was filmed, Dismislab performed a reverse image search using keyframes of a few visible structures. This located a photo on the stock image website Shutterstock that is an exact match for the archway seen in the video. The photo’s caption reads, “Solo, Surakarta, Indonesia – July 29, 2025. A view of Solo city center from behind the ‘Nagarsopuro’ gate located at the junction of ‘Jalan Slamet Riyadi’ street on a sunny afternoon.”

Subsequently, the names of the locations were searched on Google Maps. Google Maps Street View showed an exact match between multiple structures, designs, and scenes shown in the video and the Nagarsopuro Gate and its surrounding buildings, structures, and artwork.

Therefore, the location shown in the video is not Mahajanpara in Khagrachari, but a place called the Nagarsopuro Night Market in the city of Kota Surakarta, Indonesia.Notably, on September 23, violence erupted in Khagrachari over an alleged gang-rape of a Marma teen girl. To bring the law and order situation under control, the local administration imposed Section 144 on September 27, which remains in effect. Media reports indicate that so far, three people have died in violence. At least 20 people, including 13 army members and 3 police members, have also been injured.

Disclaimer: The original version of this fact-check report was published in Bengali on Dismislab’s Bengali website on September 29, 2025. The English translation was completed later; however, to maintain time accuracy and avoid any potential misinterpretation, the English version has been published with the original publication date.