Image of an Indian child circulates as victim of Shibir gunfire in Chattogram
Several online news portals have recently published reports claiming that a child named Ifti was killed in gunfire by Islami Chhatrashibir (the student wing of Jamaat-e-Islami) activists during a clash between students and locals at the University of Chittagong. Posts making the same claim have also been shared on Facebook. However, Dismislab’s fact-check found that no such incident took place during the clash between students and locals at the University of Chittagong. In fact, the child whose photo was shared with the claim was a resident of Maharashtra, India.
Multiple online news portals (1, 2) published reports claiming that a child named Ifti was killed after Shibir activists opened fire at the University of Chittagong. An online news portal called Daily Dinpatra ran the headline, “Child Ifti killed in Shibir gunfire at CU, tension in the area.” The report stated, “A child named Ifti has been killed by gunshot during a violent clash in the University of Chittagong (CU) area. Locals allege that this tragic death occurred as a result of bullets fired by members of Islami Chhatra Shibir. The killing took place at 12:20 p.m. on Sunday in the Londoni Building area near the university’s Gate No. 2. The incident has sparked grief and outrage throughout the area.”
A post published on July 31 on the Facebook page of an online news outlet called Daily Ajker Kontho stated, “Child Ifti killed by Shibir gunfire at CU.” The post further claimed that during a clash between university students and locals, a child named Ifti was killed by bullets fired by Islami Chhatra Shibir men near the Londoni Building area adjacent to Gate No. 2.
The same report was also published by a Facebook page named Bangla Magazine. The post additionally mentioned that the Proctor of the University of Chittagong had described the child’s death as “tragic.” Besides these, several Facebook profiles shared photo cards making the same claim (1, 2, 3).
Dismislab’s verification found that the child whose photo was used in the photocards and news reports was not from Bangladesh but a resident of Maharashtra, India. Through reverse image search, Dismislab located a report by NDTV which stated that a 16-year-old boy named Atharva Gopal Tayde had died by suicide by jumping off a hill after his mother refused to buy him a mobile phone. The incident took place in Maharashtra, India.
A report by News18, titled “Teen Jumps Off Hill in Maharashtra After Mother Refuses to Buy Mobile Phone,” contained the same information. In addition, an online report published by Gulf Daily News mentioned that the 16-year-old, Atharva, had been preparing for the police recruitment examination.
To further confirm the matter, Dismislab contacted the Prothom Alo campus correspondent at the University of Chittagong. He confirmed that no incident had occurred involving the death of a child named Ifti. However, due to deterioration in their physical condition, two injured students had been taken to Dhaka for treatment.
Dismilab also reached out to Abu Kawser Mahmud Hossain, the Officer-in-Charge of Hathazari Model Police Station. He told Dismislab that he had received no such information either.
It is worth noting that on August 31, clashes broke out between students and local villagers at the University of Chittagong after reports spread that a security guard (caretaker) of a rented house had assaulted a female student. More than two hundred people were injured in the incident.
Disclaimer: The original version of this fact-check report was published in Bengali on Dismislab’s Bengali website on September 2, 2025. 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.
