Image of man killed in Bagerhat shared to claim Savar worker shot dead by police
Amid garment workers’ protests in various parts of the country over the past several days, a photograph of a body has circulated on Facebook with claims that another worker was killed by police gunfire in Savar. However, Dismislab’s verification found that the photograph shows a young man killed in an attack by his cousin over a land dispute in Bagerhat.
On November 4, a Facebook profile named “Bangladesh Chhatra League 2.5” posted the photograph with a caption claiming that another worker had been killed by police gunfire in Savar following the death of Toufiq Hossain, who died after being injured while taking photos and videos of vandalism during a protest in Gazipur. The caption read, “Following Toufiq’s death, another worker was killed by police gunfire in Savar today. How many more lives will be lost over the demand for food under the Tarique government!!!” (verbatim).
The photograph was also found circulating with the same claim on several other Facebook profiles (2, 3).
A reverse image search conducted to verify the photograph led to a report published in the online edition of Dainik Arthonitir Kagoj on September 21. The report was headlined, “Young Man Killed, Father Injured in Cousin’s Attack Over Land Dispute in Bagerhat.”
The same photograph circulating on Facebook was found in the report. According to the report, a 24-year-old man named Ahad Ahmed was killed in an attack by his cousin over a land dispute in Rampal, Bagerhat. His father, Sheikh Fariduzzaman, was seriously injured in the incident.
On September 21, Jago News 24 also published a report on the incident, headlined “Man Killed by Cousin Over Land Dispute in Bagerhat.” The report said that Ahad and his father were attacked following a dispute over water drainage from a land boundary in the Islamabad area of Rampal. Ahad later died while being taken to the hospital.
Dhaka Mail and Khulna Gazette also published reports on the same incident on September 21. These reports also stated that a young man had been killed in a land dispute in Rampal, Bagerhat.
The photograph circulated on Facebook with the claim that a worker was killed by police gunfire in Savar actually shows the body of Ahad Ahmed, who was killed over a land dispute in Bagerhat.
Meanwhile, garment workers have been protesting in Savar, Gazipur, Mirpur and other parts of the country, demanding a minimum monthly wage of Tk30,000. The protests have been accompanied by repeated clashes and chases between workers and police.
