United News of Bangladesh

The Deceptive Claim Amidst recent unrest and a Section 144 curfew in Khagrachhari, a video was circulated on social media, falsely claiming that ethnic minority groups had set fire to the Khagrachhari Model Mosque. Fact-Checking VerdictThe claim is categorically FALSE. The video is not from Khagrachhari; it is footage from an arson attack on a resort in Dinajpur.  The Irrefutable Evidence 1. UNB's Footage Was Misappropriated     - The video being used to spread the inflammatory claim prominently features the logo of                  United News of Bangladesh (UNB).      - UNB's Original Report: By tracing the footage back to UNB's own archives (on platforms            like YouTube and Facebook), it was confirmed that the video depicts a completely separate              incident: an attack by the Touhidi Janota on the 'Jibon Mohol' park resort in Dinajpur city              on August 28 of a previous year.      - The Truth of the Video: The footage shows the resort's structures on fire after the attack,          proving it has zero connection to Khagrachhari or its Model Mosque. The disseminators of the          fake news essentially misrepresented UNB's own reporting to spread a lie. 2. Local Journalist Confirms the Reality on the Ground       - To definitively check the status of the mosque, fact-checker Bangla Fact contacted Khokon Bikash Tripura Jack, the Khagrachhari District Correspondent for the Daily Protidiner Bangladesh.       - The local journalist confirmed, without ambiguity, that the viral information was false,                 stating: "The information that the Khagrachhari Model Mosque was set on fire is                  false." The claim of an arson attack on the Khagrachhari Model Mosque is vicious misinformation designed to incite communal tension. The video used to promote this lie is a piece of evidence from a different attack in Dinajpur, as confirmed by UNB's original report. We urge all users to immediately stop sharing this manipulative and dangerous content. Here are the source links: https://www.youtube.com/shorts/wftx3JhZFn4https://www.facebook.com/reel/24649929244644736https://youtu.be/TtclAMZDB98?si=2bxFwZvJVr4-u3bE

Umama Fatima, former spokesperson and coordinator of the Anti-Discrimination Student movement, has called for a complete ban on political activities by all parties — including leftist, right-wing, and Islamic groups — within Dhaka University’s Kabi Sufia Kamal Hall. However, she has alleged that her statement has been misrepresented by several media outlets. In a letter sent to the provost of Kabi Sufia Kamal Hall on Friday (August 8), a group of students led by Umama Fatima wrote, “We secured a commitment from the hall administration through a collective movement on July 17 last year that all forms of student politics — including Chhatra League, Chhatra Dal, Shibir, BAGCHAS, etc. — would be banned in the hall.” The letter also mentioned this agreement between the administration and general students has been in effect for the past year, which is now being violated. "However, some organisations have recently resumed their political activities in secret. As a result, the Chhatra Dal hall committee was announced on August 8. We believe this violates the agreement established through last year’s July movement, and betrays the trust of general students.” Following the letter, several media outlets, including Daily Janakantha, reported that Umama Fatima had called for a ban on all political groups except the left, quoting her as saying: “Umama Fatima wants all parties except the left to be banned in the hall.” Speaking to UNB on Saturday (August 9) afternoon, Umama denied the claim, stating: “My statement has been distorted in the headlines and photo cards published by Janakantha and other outlets. The journalists have twisted my words. The left is not even a factor in Sufia Kamal Hall — there’s no one here who is actively involved in leftist politics.” Clarifying further, she said: “In the statement submitted to the Provost Sir, we clearly wrote that all forms of politics should be banned in Sufia Kamal Hall.” NCP’s Nasiruddin Patwari defends Cox’s Bazar trip in show-cause reply She alleged that despite the ban, activists from several student organisations have continued operating under the radar. “Even before this, members of one organisation installed water filters and chandeliers in the hall. In the case of the chandelier, the Proctor’s Office called the hall authorities and instructed them to approve it.” “Although hall politics is officially banned, the university administration is indirectly endorsing all types of political activities,” Umama claimed. In response to her remarks, Sakibunnahar Tamanna, president of Islami Chatri Sangstha at Dhaka University, rejected the allegations. She said DU Chatri Sangstha has not been involved in any such activities. There are many students in the hall — I don’t understand why our organisation’s name is being dragged into this. Meanwhile, on the same night, an online portal named Mirror News published a photocard quoting Umama as saying, “Shibir should publish all hall committees and the Chhatra Dal committee should be cancelled.” In response, Umama clarified: “I never said Shibir should publish any committee. My point was that those involved in hidden political activities don’t reveal their identities. It’s the administration’s responsibility to identify such students. Student politics at the university must go through reconciliation.” She further expressed her frustration: “Everyone has a problem with me. If I raise the issue of secret politics, it becomes a problem for Shibir. If I mention committees, it becomes a problem for Chhatra Dal. And if I call for a ban on student politics, the leftists take issue.”  “I’ve decided to take legal action against all of them. I’m not doing this for DUCSU or any political ambition — I’m doing it in the interest of the university’s students,” Umama added.

A short video circulating widely on social media claims to show BNP’s Acting Chairman Tarique Rahman being tortured by being suspended from the ceiling of a room. The 15-second clip shows a man being lowered by rope while three other individuals remain present in the room, seemingly as part of the act. However, a fact-check by UNB has confirmed that the video does not show Tarique Rahman, nor is it a recent recording. Rather, the footage is based on an old photograph taken on 26 January 2007 at a police station in Bogura. According to archived reports, the man seen hanging from the ceiling is Raton Kumar, who had been detained on 25 January 2007 over theft allegations. The photograph, showing Kumar tied and suspended from the ceiling in the duty officer's room, was originally published by The Daily Star at the time. Following public outrage after the image surfaced, a formal investigation was launched. As a result, several police personnel were suspended, including the officer-in-charge (OC) Shamsul Haque, sub-inspectors Manzur Rahman, Shariful Islam, Abdul Karim, and constable Nurul Islam. Police later stated that Raton Kumar, a resident of Dalpotti in Bogura town, had been suspected of heroin trafficking. A two-tola necklace was reportedly recovered from him during his detention. The image has recently resurfaced in a manipulated form. It has been digitally altered and converted into a short video using artificial intelligence tools. The manipulated clip falsely suggests that Tarique Rahman was subjected to the same form of custodial torture. Conclusion: The viral claim is false. The video does not depict Tarique Rahman. It is a digitally manipulated version of a 2007 image of a different incident involving a separate individual.    

A video circulating on social media has been misleadingly claimed to show a protest by SSC candidates demanding 'auto pass'. The video depicts students chanting slogans such as "Fire has ignited in our blood," "We have shed blood, we will shed more," and "In the flood of blood, injustice will drown."  Nowhere in the video do the students call for an 'auto pass' for the SSC examinations. Upon closer inspection, the students are seen holding a banner. Though the banner is somewhat obscured by a crowd, the upper part of it clearly reads, "Protest against the illegal 33% promotion of Craft Instructors." Besides, the middle portion of the banner indicates "Boycott Exams," while the bottom section shows "Rangpur Ideal." These details suggest that the protest is not related to the SSC exams but to a different issue. Fact-Check The video has been widely shared on Facebook groups, individual profiles, and TikTok over the past few days, falsely claiming that it shows students protesting for 'auto pass' in the 2024 SSC exams. The video was even shared by a Facebook group named "SSC Batch 2024 and 2025" on Sunday, April 6, with a caption stating, "We want auto pass in this year's SSC exams because our preparation has been poor due to the July Revolution movement and observing Ramadan. We will form a movement from our respective places. Our demand is one, we want auto pass." False Claims of Sheikh Hasina Being Moved to Hindol The video was also shared by another group called "Dreams Medicalian InshaAllah," perpetuating the same claim. However, a fact-check by the news agency UNB has revealed that the video actually shows a protest by students from Rangpur Ideal Institute of Technology. On March 21, students from various polytechnic institutes in Rangpur, including those from Rangpur Ideal Institute of Technology, staged a protest, boycotted exams, and held a human chain and rally. The protest was in response to the government's decision to grant a 30% promotion to Craft Instructors. During the protest, students also submitted a memorandum to the district commissioner demanding the cancellation of the promotion order. The video first appeared on TikTok from the account "Jehad155," with the caption "Remove the Crafts, Save Polytechnic." It was later misrepresented on social media as a protest demanding 'auto pass' for the SSC exams. The video is not related to the ongoing SSC exam protests but rather to the protests concerning the promotion of Craft Instructors in polytechnic institutions. This misinformation has been widely spread across social media, falsely associating it with the 'auto pass' demand.

A video circulating on Facebook claims that on Thursday, January 20, at 6 AM, Bangladesh’s former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina was moved from New Delhi to the Indian state of Hindol under special security arrangements by the Indian government. During this time, she reportedly delivered a message for Amar Ekushey. In the video, a convoy of vehicles is seen moving along a foggy highway while a police officer is seen saluting it. Towards the end of the video, an image of an armed security force dressed in black is shown. Fact-Check The claim that Sheikh Hasina was moved to Hindol, which was posted on Facebook on February 20 from the profile of Nasima Sultana Mohua, is false. A fact-check by news agency UNB found that the video in question is actually from January 5, 2022. It shows Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi canceling his visit to Ferozepur in Punjab due to adverse weather conditions. This video has been broadcast by several Indian media outlets, including Hindi-language news channel ABP News. Reports state that Narendra Modi was on his way to Bhatinda district in Punjab and was scheduled to fly back to New Delhi from there. The scene in question appears 2 minutes and 16 seconds into a 3-minute and 3-second video published by ABP News.