Misinformation spreads as social media users link fabricated AI images and foreign footage to Habiganj political clashes
Photo Collected
Social media platforms have been flooded with manipulated images and misrepresented videos following a violent attack on a convoy belonging to the National Citizens Party (NCP) in Habiganj. The incident, which occurred Tuesday during the party’s “July Procession” program, involved the convoy of NCP coordinator Nasiruddin Patwari and chief organizer Sarjis Alam. The party has formally accused local Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) activists of orchestrating the assault.
In the wake of the violence, the NCP announced nationwide protests, prompting the BNP and local student wings to organize counter-demonstrations. The escalating tensions forced local authorities to impose a ban on all public gatherings within the city. Amid this volatile atmosphere, misinformation campaigns have intensified, characterized by the weaponization of artificial intelligence and out-of-context footage.
বিজ্ঞাপন
A widely circulated 19-second video, purportedly showing a chaotic scene in Habiganj including an attack on the residence of local lawmaker G.K. Gaus, has been debunked. Forensic analysis and reverse image searches confirm the footage is actually from a protest in Pakistan-administered Kashmir. International reporting, including coverage from The Guardian, identifies the same footage as documentation of clashes between security forces and protesters in the Mirpur region of Kashmir, where multiple fatalities were reported in late July.
Further digital manipulation has targeted NCP leadership directly. A viral photograph appearing to show Sarjis Alam severely injured, wearing bandages and utilizing crutches, has been identified as a digitally altered image. Comparisons with authentic media footage captured after the Habiganj incident reveal that the bandages and medical apparatus were added to an original photo using image-editing tools. Independent AI-based detection software has corroborated that the image was doctored to suggest injuries that did not occur.
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Other falsehoods have attempted to inflate the severity of the conflict by reporting fatalities, none of which have been verified by any credible news outlets. One such video, claiming to show mourning for a victim of the Habiganj clash, was found to be recycled footage from June. Reports confirm the original video depicts the family of a 14-year-old student, Mehedi Hasan, who died under unrelated, tragic circumstances in Ramganj, Lakshmipur, earlier this year.
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