Disinformation spreads amid Gopalganj clashes
On July 16, leaders and activists of the Awami League and its student wing, the Chhatra League, clashed with law enforcement personnel during the National Citizen Party’s (NCP) “March to Gopalganj” program. Media reports stated that four people were killed in the clashes, at least nine were shot, and more than fifty others were injured. Amid the violence, several pieces of misinformation also circulated. Old photos and videos were shared with the claim that they depicted scenes from the Gopalganj clashes, though verification showed the claims were inaccurate.
Old images from unrelated incidents shared with false claims
A post on the social media platform X claimed that “with the internet shut down in Gopalganj, members of the NCP and Shibir are indiscriminately firing on civilians while wearing police uniforms. Thirteen people, including women and children, have been shot. These are NCP and Shibir terrorists (traitors) disguised in police uniforms. The police opened fire under NCP’s instruction.” The post included four photos. One of them showed several armed police officers aiming their guns, with some wearing vests marked “DB” (Detective Branch).
Verification of this image reveals that it is from an incident nearly three years old. The photo appeared in a report published by Dhaka Times on September 8, 2022. The headline read: “Clash between police and BNP in Narayanganj: SI who fired shot closed.” According to the report, “during a clash between BNP activists and police in Narayanganj on September 1, Sub-Inspector Mahfuz Konok of the District Detective Branch, who took a Chinese rifle from a constable and opened fire, has been closed from duty.” This image has no connection to the recent clashes in Gopalganj.
Another photo in the post showed several people lying on hospital beds. Verification revealed the image to be from a 2023 incident. A report by NewsBangla24, dated March 23, 2023, included the same photo with the headline: “Gunfire and clashes during UP election in Gopalganj leave 25 injured.” The report described that supporters of three member candidates launched an attack demanding cancellation of election results in the Latifpur Union Parishad under Gopalganj Sadar upazila. As violence escalated, police opened fire to regain control. Twenty-five people, including ten members of the law enforcement, were injured. Two individuals were detained. This image, too, is unrelated to the recent July incident in Gopalganj.
The post included two more images—one showing a child being carried by a group of people, and another of a vehicle engulfed in flames. Dismislab traced these photos to a 2024 report published by the news outlet Dainik Desh Shomoy. The report, dated August 10, 2024, was titled: “Child injured in Gopalganj army firing, protesters set military vehicle on fire.” It stated that on the afternoon of August 10, local residents of Gopinathpur Union in Gopalganj organized a protest rally calling for the return of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina. When army personnel attempted to block the protest, a clash ensued. During the clash, a child was injured by army gunfire, prompting protesters to set fire to a military vehicle. This incident occurred last August and is not related to the recent events.
Similar posts linking these unrelated photos to the July 16 clashes in Gopalganj were also seen on Facebook (1, 2, 3, 4).
Photos from July Protests Shared with Conflicting Claims
Three images have circulated on Facebook with conflicting claims. Some users alleged that the photos showed Awami League supporters firing shots during the July 16 clashes in Gopalganj (1, 2, 3, 4), while others claimed they depicted National Citizen Party (NCP) members opening fire (1, 2, 3).
Verification reveals that none of these claims are accurate. All three images show multiple individuals carrying firearms. Two of the images can be traced back to a 2024 news report. In these images, two individuals are seen together, and the same duo appears in a newspaper article published on July 16, 2024, with the headline: “Three killed in Chattogram clash.” The photo caption in that report states: “Two youths fired on protesting students.” The incident occurred during the quota reform protests in July 2024. The report notes that after the anti-discrimination student movement called for nationwide rallies in protest of alleged attacks by Chhatra League members, clashes broke out between students and Chhatra League activists in the Muradpur–Bahaddarhat area of Chattogram. Protesters accused Chhatra League members of brandishing firearms and opening fire. Therefore, these two images are nearly a year old and unrelated to the recent Gopalganj incident.
The third image shows a helmeted individual aiming a gun. Dismislab traced this image to a report published by Jugantor on October 25, 2024, with the headline: “Firoz, who fired weapon, arrested.” According to the report, “Md. Firoz, a Jubo League activist and an accused in the case over the shooting death of shop worker Saimon alias Mahin during the anti-discrimination protests in Chattogram, has been arrested. A team from RAB-7 detained him around 10 a.m. in the Rampur area under Feni Sadar Model Police Station. During the July protests, images of Firoz brandishing a weapon in Chattogram’s Muradpur and Bahaddarhat areas had gone viral on social media.” This image, too, is from the July 2024 quota reform protests.
Old Incident Falsely Shared as Scene from Gopalganj
A video circulating on social media shows a man being placed into a police van. One post on X included the caption: “The Awami League is promising justice for police killings as a political rhetoric, while today in Gopalganj, the police are dumping the bodies of our activists like garbage.” The same video has also appeared on other platforms (1, 2).
Upon verification, the original source of the video was found to be a post from the Facebook page Praner Brahmanbaria, dated June 4 of this year. The caption of the original post read: “A mugger was caught and beaten by a mob at the Bhadohghor Bus Stand cattle market and was later handed over to the police.” This confirms that the video is from an earlier, unrelated incident and has no connection to the recent events in Gopalganj.
Ten-Month-Old Video Falsely Claimed as Footage from Gopalganj
A video featuring a child was circulated on the social media platform X, with claims that it was related to the recent violence in Gopalganj. The caption read: “Just look at the #child in this picture , a true soldier of Mujib. Ready to defend Bangabandhu if Gopalganj is ever threatened.” The same video was also shared on Facebook and YouTube.
However, verification shows that the video does not depict any recent event. Footage of the same child—walking on a street with a stick in hand—was previously shared in a post dated August 8, 2024. An identical clip was also published as a video reel on August 27, 2024. This confirms that the video is at least ten months old and has no connection to the July 2025 clashes in Gopalganj.
Unrelated Video Shared Claiming to Show NCP Activists Pleading with Army
A video has circulated on Facebook claiming that leaders of the National Citizen Party (NCP) were seen pleading for their lives by holding the feet of army personnel. The caption reads: “The leaders have taken shelter in the police station, leaving their activists behind—activists begging at the feet of army members.” Several users and pages shared the video with identical or similar claims (1, 2, 3, 4).
However, verification by Dismislab traced the video back to an earlier post from May 18 of this year. The original caption of that post read: “Dismissed army personnel pleading at the feet of army officers.” The same video footage was found to match the one now being shared with the NCP-related claim. On May 19, Dainik Inqilab published a report stating: “Former members of the armed forces, dismissed at various times, held a day-long protest in front of the National Press Club in Dhaka demanding reinstatement and presenting a four-point charter of demands. Senior army officials visited the protesters in the afternoon to speak with them.” This confirms that the footage relates to that protest and bears no connection to the recent events in Gopalganj.
Notably, on July 16, leaders and activists of the National Citizen Party (NCP) arrived in Gopalganj as part of their “March to Gopalganj” program under the broader campaign titled “July March to Build the Nation.” Tensions escalated in the district surrounding this event. The party’s rally site came under attack, and later, their motorcade was also targeted. Clashes erupted between the attackers and law enforcement, during which at least four people were killed. In the aftermath, a curfew was imposed in Gopalganj.
