Misinformation spreads amid CHT conflict, old Image & video used
The situation in Khagrachari and Rangamati remains unsettled due to the ongoing conflict between hill people and Bengalis. Various types of misinformation have spread, fueled by the unrest in the hills. Recently, a photo and video were shared on Facebook and Twitter, claiming that members of the armed forces were attacked in the Chittagong Hill Tract (CHT). However, Dismislab’s fact-check found that both incidents are old and have no connection to the current violence.
On September 22, a Twitter user shared a photo claiming, “#BreakingNews BGB is being beaten by hill terrorists. This is completely unacceptable; I urge the interim government to take immediate action.” The same photo was shared on a Facebook group, where a user posted it as a recent event. The photo shows a person in a BGB uniform being attacked. The post has received about 1,500 reactions and has been shared over a hundred times. The photo has over 350 comments. One user commented, “They even raise their hands against the army personnel. Very bad,” while another wrote, “Hill people constantly take the law into their own hands.”
A reverse image search found the photo in a 2023 report by Amader Somoy. The report states that at the time, locals in the Pujagang area of Panchhari, Khagrachari, attacked members of the Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB), snatching 1.25 million taka and two detained suspects. BGB members had stopped two people on a motorcycle based on a tip and seized the money. While taking them to the police station, the locals attacked, injuring five BGB members. A keyword search found a Facebook post from the same day in 2023 with a video of the same incident, confirming the details.
Additionally, on September 21, a Facebook page named ‘SI Media Dhaka’ shared a video where some women with sticks were seen confronting Army soldiers. The video caption read, “They feel ill at ease.” Over 30 thousand users reacted to the video, which has been shared more than 43 thousand times. There are over 4,500 comments on the post, with many people mistakenly thinking it was related to the current violence in the Chittagong Hill Tracts. One user commented, “Such audacity! How did these tribal women gain the mental strength to attack our proud army with sticks? It must be investigated, and I demand severe punishment.” Another wrote, “Fire all the hill people working in government jobs.”
In a reverse image search of the video’s keyframe, Dismislab found the same video in a 2018 Facebook post uploaded by CHT News. The post included a screenshot of the video, stating that on that day, army personnel tried to arrest a local shopkeeper in the Rangapani area of Rangamati. The locals, particularly women, protested, leading to a scuffle with the army. This confirms that the video is from six years ago and has no connection to the current violence. The video was also found on a Facebook page called “Paharer Khobor” in 2020, where it was claimed to be from a 2018’s incident of an attack on the army in Rangamati.
Notably, although the situation in Khagrachari and Rangamati has somewhat stabilized, the 72-hour blockade by the United People’s Democratic Front (UPDF) and the Discrimination Resistance Hill Students’ Movement continues. Since the violence began, misinformation has spread widely on social media. DISMISLAB has published several fact-check reports (1, 2) on the matter.
