Dhaka: Fact-checking platform, BanglaFact, operated by the Press Institute Bangladesh (PIB), has identified misleading information on social media. Claims that police arrested a 120-year-old man for attacking students during the anti-discrimination student movement in July-August 2024 were debunked. The man was, in fact, arrested in 2003 in connection with a family dispute and clashes over the Union Parishad elections.
According to Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha, a BanglaFact investigation revealed that a reverse image search showed the first picture circulating on social media was originally published in a report by media organization Prothom Alo. The report, published on Wednesday, disclosed that the man, Idris Sheikh, 120, was jailed in a murder case in 2003.
The investigation clarified that the claims suggesting the old man was arrested for attacking students during the recent anti-discrimination movement are incorrect. Idris Sheikh’s arrest pertained to an entirely different incident linked to a long-standing family dispute and election-related clashes from 2003.