Fake statements on DUCSU member Rafia attributed to NCP leader Samantha
A claim has recently spread on Facebook that Samantha Sharmin, Senior Joint Convenor of the National Citizen Party (NCP), said Dhaka University Central Students’ Union (DUCSU) Executive Member Umma Uswatun Rafia set fire to her own house. But Samantha Sharmin confirmed to Dismislab that she never made such comments.
A page named “Rukhe Dao Bangladesh” posted the claim on Facebook with the caption, “DUCSU leader Rafia set the fire herself, staged a drama, and framed others— Samantha.” In the comment section, a report from an online news portal named Audit News was found.
The headline of the report was, “Accused of staging a planned arson drama to frame others— NCP leader Samantha.” The report said, “Samantha, a leader of a national political party, claimed in a statement to the media that Rafia had phoned her about strategies to gain sympathy in the election. According to Samantha, she advised Rafia to reach out to the public, but she also claimed that Rafia mentioned a plan over the phone that made her concerned. Samantha said she urged Rafia not to do anything provocative or harmful, and once the incident appeared in the news, she felt she had to speak up. However, neither Rafia nor her family has given any official response about these allegations.”
The page also posted multiple (1, 2) photocards about this. The same claim was circulated as photo cards from several personal Facebook profiles (1, 2) and groups (1, 2, 3).
Dismislab conducted a keyword search but did not find any such statement by Samantha Sharmin in any news outlet. Dismislab also contacted Samantha Sharmin, and she confirmed the statement was fake, “I have not made any comments to anyone about this.”
On November 19, Umma Uswatun Rafia’s Mymensingh house came under a crude bomb and arson attack. Four people have been arrested in connection with the incident on November 20 in separate operations. Several (1, 2, 3) news media published reports about the incident.
A Prothom Alo report published on 21 November stated, “Four people have been arrested in Mymensingh for throwing a cocktail and setting fire at the house of DUCSU member Umma Uswatun Rafia. They were arrested late Thursday night in separate operations. Around 3:00 a.m. on Wednesday, a cocktail was thrown at the residence of DUCSU member Umma Uswatun Rafia in Mymensingh city’s Dholadia area.”
In other words, the statement about Rafia attributing Samantha Sharmin is false; Samantha never made such a remark.
The “Rukhe Dao Bangladesh” page has previously been found to have spread misinformation. On November 15, the page made a post about NCP leader Nusrat Jahan Binty and content creator Nuruzzaman Kafi. The post claimed, “An intimate video of NCP leader Nusrat Jahan Binty and Kafi has gone viral.” A link was given in the comments containing multiple photos. These photos were claimed to be of Binty and Kafi. But a factcheck report showed the claim was false. The photos were not of the content creator Kafi and NCP leader Binty, but of an Indian couple from Kerala, Sharun Raj and Vaishnavi. Their private photos were shared with a false claim.
On November 14, the page posted about Barrister Asaduzzaman Fuad, General Secretary of the Amar Bangladesh (AB) Party. The post claimed, “Barrister Fuad was caught by the public in an intimate moment.” A link in the comments showed multiple photos claimed to be of Barrister Fuad. However, several fact-checking organizations posted on Facebook (1, 2) confirming that the video was not of Barrister Fuad.
