Minhaj Aman

Research-Lead, Dismislab
Old video of violence in Sylhet circulated on Facebook as Dhaka’s
This article is more than 12 months old

Old video of violence in Sylhet circulated on Facebook as Dhaka’s

Minhaj Aman

Research-Lead, Dismislab

On the night of January 6, a video capturing an attack on a vehicle was circulated on Facebook. The Video claimed that the incident had occurred in Dhaka. But after scrutinizing it was found that the video is from last November. The incident occurred during a program of an opposition group called Bangladesh Jatiotabadi Swechhasebak Dal.

Several pages (1, 2) have shared this video with different captions at about 11 o’clock the night before the election, claiming this to be the current situation in Dhaka. In the video, several people are seen to be suddenly setting fire to cars and other vehicles. But a part of the video shows the banner of a restaurant named Azfa’s Sweet and Dessert. Considering this as a clue, Dismislab found the original video. Two videos uploaded on November 26 and 27, confirmed that the video is from the Subidbazar area of ​​Sylhet. Apart from that, a Youtube video also confirmed the same location. The video was uploaded on a YouTube channel named ‘Sylhet to New York’. The caption reads, “Sylhet District Swechhasebak Dal held a torch march and protest rally in the city on Sunday evening to make the ongoing blockade on 1-Point Demand a success”.

Besides, evidence of this incident is also found in the mainstream media. On November 27, in one of the news of the Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha, it was reported, “The blockade supporters set fire to an ambulance during the blockade program called by BNP and like-minded parties in Sylhet. This incident took place in the Subidbazar area of ​​Sylhet city on Sunday (November 26) night.” Similarly, in the news published in the Daily Prothom Alo on November 26, this incident was reported.