Fatema Tabasum

Fellow, Dismislab
Assam video infused with Chhatra League’s slogans, circulating on Facebook
This article is more than 7 months old

Assam video infused with Chhatra League's slogans, circulating on Facebook

Fatema Tabasum

Fellow, Dismislab

A video circulating on Facebook captures women chanting slogans like “Joy Bangla, Joy Bangabandhu,” “jhor-bristy adhaar raatey, amra achi tomar sathe” (In storm and rain, in the dark of night, we stand with you), and “Sheikh Hasina bhoy nai, Rajpath chhari nai” (Sheikh Hasina, fear not, we won’t leave the streets). However, verification by Dismislab reveals that the video originates from a protest in Assam, India, not Bangladesh. Moreover, the original audio of the video has been replaced with audio from a program hosted by Dhaka’s Eden College Chhatra League.

As of March 6th, the Facebook video has garnered nearly nine lakh views, with over six thousand reactions and more than four hundred comments. It has been shared almost 1500 times and continues to be shared by numerous users(1, 2, 3, 4, 5). The video has also undergone editing, with the addition of the caption “Share Chai” (need your share).

Through a reverse image search, the original video used in the edited clip was identified. It pertains to a protest by Assamese women in Guwahati against an eviction drive in Silsako Beel (lake). The protest, which occurred on August 26th last year, featured the slogan “Go Back, Go Back.” Participating in the protests, several women opted to pose semi-nude as the police and civil administration attempted to clear alleged encroachments on the wetland,  NDTV reports. The slogans in the video were replaced with those from a program by Eden College Chhatra League in Dhaka.

Dismislab’s verification revealed that the original video’s audio was primarily in English and Assamese. It was replaced by audio taken from a program held by the Eden College Chhatra League. On September 2nd last year, DBC News published the video on their YouTube channel. The background music of the 28-second fake video also includes artificial laughter. 
Dismislab’s verification revealed that the original video’s audio primarily consisted of English and Assamese. This was replaced by audio sourced from a program hosted by Eden College Chhatra League. On September 2nd of the previous year, DBC News published this video on their YouTube channel. Furthermore, the background music accompanying the 28-second fake video also includes artificial laughter.