Viral Video of Assault on Woman in Noakhali Misattributed to Political Rivalry as Fact-Check Debunks False Claims
Photo Collected
A viral video circulating on social media, falsely depicting a Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) leader assaulting a vegetable seller for failing to pay a debt, has been debunked as a misleading political fabrication. Investigations confirm the incident occurred on August 7 at Hanif Chairman Bazar in the Noakhali Sadar Upazila, involving a local tea shop owner who attacked a mentally ill woman.
The 31-second video, which surfaced across more than 55 Facebook pages and groups, primarily linked to supporters of the now-banned Awami League, claimed a BNP politician committed the act. However, verification of the footage and local eyewitness accounts confirm the perpetrator is Abul Khayer, a tea seller and the general secretary of the local Jatiya Samajtantrik Dal (JSD) committee.
Khayer admitted to the assault, explaining that the victim, who had been wandering the market for days, was damaging his shop property with a piece of firewood during heavy rain. Khayer stated he reacted in anger before later apologizing to the woman and the local community for his behavior. Market traders and residents corroborated that the victim was suffering from mental health issues and that the dispute was unrelated to politics.
This incident is part of a broader pattern of misinformation currently spreading online. In a separate instance, social media users falsely claimed that the brother of Sarjis Alam, a chief organizer of the National Citizens’ Committee, was arrested with a firearm in Dhanmondi. Verification revealed that the individual in the footage is actually Abdur Rahman, also known as Rahim, who was arrested in Begumganj, Noakhali, on June 8.
Similarly, a video being shared under the claim that BNP leaders assaulted the wife of an Awami League official has been identified as footage from a police rescue operation in Chakaria, Cox’s Bazar. In that instance, a police sub-inspector was withdrawn from duty following reports of excessive force used while rescuing a kidnapped teenage girl.
Furthermore, a graphic video claiming that a Chittagong BNP leader named Monir murdered a man in front of his child has been debunked. Forensic analysis shows the footage originated in Bihar, India, last July, where a man was attacked by his brother and nephew during a land dispute. These findings highlight a coordinated effort to misattribute unrelated or distorted content to manipulate public perception regarding political parties in Bangladesh.
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