Dhaka: A video recently circulated on social media claiming that a Hindu child was being tortured by police in Bangladesh has been debunked by fact-checking organization Rumor Scanner. The video, which shows a child losing consciousness amidst a teargas incident, was inaccurately portrayed as police brutality when, in fact, it depicted efforts to aid the child during a clash between students and authorities.
According to Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha, Rumor Scanner clarified that the video was taken during a confrontation between students from Dhaka College and City College, where teargas was deployed by authorities to control the situation. The fact-checking body identified the video as being falsely presented on platforms such as Instagram and YouTube. It showed a police officer, Shefat Chowdhury, attempting to revive a child affected by the teargas, not torturing the child as claimed.
The investigation involved a reverse image search, revealing that the video had been posted on a Facebook account under the name Ashraful Amin on November 20. The video matched the one circulating with false claims. The post accompanying the video explained that the child's condition worsened due to exposure to teargas, prompting immediate assistance from those nearby, including Officer Chowdhury.
Rumor Scanner's findings were bolstered by a detailed account from Officer Chowdhury himself, shared on his personal Facebook account. On November 22, he described how, amidst chaos from the clash, he assisted the child's mother, who was struggling to breathe due to the teargas. In a bid to alleviate the situation, he brought the child near a small fire, which helped the child regain consciousness.
Further analysis by the fact-checkers included verifying the location of the incident using Google Maps, which matched New Elephant Road, where the clash between college students indeed took place. The skirmish stemmed from a dispute over boarding a bus, escalating into a violent confrontation on November 20.
The clarification from Rumor Scanner underscores the importance of verifying information before sharing it online, as false claims can easily spread misinformation and potentially incite unwarranted tensions. The organization concluded that the video was a misrepresentation, and the claim of police torture of a Hindu child is baseless.