Assam video misrepresented as incident in Chittagong hill tracts
A video has circulated on social media with the claim that a faction of the UPDF in the Chittagong Hill Tracts is preventing the army and administration from entering the area. However, an investigation found that the video was made by a content creator in Assam, India.
The video was posted on October 26 by a Facebook page named ‘Kashem Vai fd’. The post included the caption, “Deliver this to the Bangladesh government.” The video shows two scenes. In the upper part, several young men and women are seen recording a video while holding weapons. In the lower part, a man is heard saying, “Assalamu Alaikum. If you want to save the Chittagong Hill Tracts, they must be brought under the law as soon as possible. Because they are a faction of the UPDF. They are not allowing any army personnel or administrative officials from Bangladesh to enter the Chittagong Hill Tracts, and they are firing repeatedly. Therefore, share this video and help ensure it reaches the Bangladesh government.”
As of the time of publication, the video had been shared approximately 7,000 times and had received about 8,000 reactions.
During the investigation, a reverse image search was conducted using several keyframes from the video. The search found the same video on a Facebook profile named “Janina Janina”. Published on October 25, the post carried the caption: “Who among you can argue with hill women? Even if the army gives them full authority, will it work?”
Further investigation found the same video on a Facebook profile named “Rongjali Narzary”. The video was published on October 20. According to the profile information, the individual is a resident of Kokrajhar, Assam, India. Further examination showed that the profile had published other videos of a similar nature.
The same video was also found on an Instagram account named “N.rongjali” or “Rongjali Narzary”. It had also been published there on October 20.
In other words, a video previously published on the social media accounts of a content creator from Assam, India, is being circulated as footage from the Chittagong Hill Tracts in Bangladesh.
