Photos of children being rescued are spreading with claims that they were detained for chanting “Joy Bangla” slogan
A photo has spread on social media with the claim that children were detained for chanting the slogan “Joy Bangla.” However, factcheck shows that it is a photo of the rescue of seven children who got lost in the hills of Banshkhali, Chattogram. According to reports from multiple news outlets, on September 26 this year, seven fifth-grade students from Banshkhali Government Model Primary School left home and lost their way. Later, the police rescued them.
In the photo circulating on social media, seven young boys can be seen standing in front of a banner. The banner reads, “Special Operation, Banshkhali Police Station, Chattogram District.” The boy on the far left is wearing a cap, and the third boy from the left is wearing a yellow T-shirt. A page named “Politics Insider” posted the photo with the caption: “Murderer Yunus’s police arrested little children for chanting the slogan Joy Bangla.”
The same photo was shared on Facebook by multiple profiles (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9) and a group, an Instagram profile as well as an X account with the same claim.
Reverse image search using keyframes of the photo revealed a report, published on September 27 this year. The report used the same photo, which matched exactly with the one spreading the claim of the children being detained. The report was about the rescue of seven missing students in Chattogram. When they did not return home at the expected time, their parents became worried and informed the police. Later, on the morning of September 27, Banshkhali police rescued the seven students in good health from the Dakbhanga hill.
Further investigation of the incident led Dismislab to a video posted on September 27, 2025, by a Facebook page named Chattogram District Police. The video matched the circulating photo of the children. The clothing, faces, and the background banner of the seven children in the video were identical to those in the photo. The video’s caption mentioned the police rescue operation and identified the seven rescued students. On the same date, several Facebook profiles (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6) also posted the same video with similar details. Several Facebook pages (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6) also promoted the video with the same claim.
Multiple news outlets (1, 2, 3) published detailed reports about the incident. One of the reports, published on September 27 this year, was titled, “Lost their way and spent the night in the hills, then how seven children were rescued.” The report stated: “In Banshkhali, Chattogram, the police rescued seven children on Saturday morning who went missing in the hills on Friday afternoon. The rescued children described how they got lost in the hills and were later rescued. Police said the parents filed a report at the station last night seeking help to find their children. The parents spent the entire night anxiously at the police station. Three police teams went into the hills that night to search for them. Around 5:00 a.m., about 12 hours after they went missing, the children were rescued from the hilly area of Ward No. 4 of Jungle Joladi.”
The recently circulated photo has no connection with detention of any children for chanting slogans. That claim is false.
