Dueling false claims circulate about Khagrachhari candidates’ withdrawal
False claims circulated on Facebook alleging that two independent candidates in Khagrachhari, Samiran Dewan and Dharmajyoti Chakma, had withdrawn from the 13th National Parliamentary Election. But a Dismislab fact-check found that both claims are false, and both candidates confirmed on social media that they did not quit the race.
Claim 1: Dharmajyoti Chakma Quits
On February 12, a Facebook profile under the name Lt. Colonel PB posted (archive link) that Dharmajyoti Chakma had withdrawn at the last moment to support fellow candidate Samiran Dewan. The post included a screenshot of a supposed photocard from the hill-region news site CHTNews. The card’s headline read: “At the last moment, Dharmajyoti Chakma withdraws candidacy and endorses Babu Samiran Dewan.”
Dismislab found a real post from CHTNews on February 12 that labeled the circulating photocard as fake. CHTNews wrote: “A group is creating fake photocards using chtnews.com’s name to mislead people. No such photocard was issued. There is no room for confusion — Dharmajyoti Chakma remains in the race.”
That same day, Dharmajyoti Chakma posted from his Facebook page clarifying that the withdrawal claim was a rumor. He wrote: “Do not believe the rumors. Vote for the horse symbol all day today. Victory will be ours.”
This was not the first time similar false claims were spread about him (1, 2).
Claim 2: Samiran Dewan Quits
Also on February 12, the Facebook page “Gen‑Z Fighter” posted a 2‑minute‑53‑second video claiming that Samiran Dewan had withdrawn his candidacy and endorsed Dharmajyoti Chakma. The caption read: “This morning, Babu Samiran Dewan withdrew his candidacy and endorsed the horse‑symbol candidate Babu Dharmajyoti Chakma. He urges everyone to vote for the horse.”
A Facebook page titled “Vote for Unity, Vote Dharma Jyoti Chakma” also posted a 44‑second clip (archive link) of the same video. In the video, a man appearing to be Samiran Dewan says: “After discussing with all my supporters, I have decided to withdraw at this final moment and support Dharmajyoti Chakma. The nation is more important than the election. I apologize to my supporters and urge all hill people to vote for the horse symbol.”
However, a verified page called “Samiran Dewan Support Forum” posted a video on February 12 at 11:09 a.m., in which Samiran Dewan said he was healthy and visiting polling centers. He did not claim to have withdrawn from the race.
Additionally, the voice in the alleged withdrawal clip appeared inconsistent. Dismislab analyzed the video with the Deepfake‑O‑Meter tool, which concluded there was a 100% probability that the video was AI‑generated.
In short, both withdrawal claims – one targeting Dharmajyoti Chakma, the other targeting Samiran Dewan – were fabricated. One was spread using a fake photocard, and the other used an AI‑generated deepfake video.
Disclaimer: The original version of this fact-check report was published in Bengali on Dismislab’s Bengali website on February 14, 2026. The English translation was completed later; however, to maintain time accuracy and avoid any potential misinterpretation, the English version has been published with the original publication date.
