A photocard is circulating on Facebook featuring comments allegedly made by Sarjis Alam, Chief Organizer (Northern Region) of the Jatiya Nagorik Party, calling for the banning of Chhatra Dal and Jubo Dal. The photocard attributes the following statement to Sarjis: “The party will not take responsibility for individual actions; it will only take a share of the extorted money. This money will again enter Bangladesh as remittance from London. Our only demand now is to ban Chhatra Dal and Jubo Dal.” Fact-checking by FactWatch reveals that this photocard is edited. It was created by altering an earlier photocard containing Sarjis’s comments following a clash between police and members of the Anti-Discrimination Student Movement at Patiya Police Station in Chattogram.
Keyword searches for verifying the authenticity of the statement allegedly made by Sarjis Alam regarding the banning of Chhatra Dal and Jubo Dal yielded no such comment. No post containing such a statement was found on Sarjis Alam’s verified Facebook page either.
It is worth noting that a wave of online and offline propaganda—both in favor of and against the BNP—is ongoing in connection with the recent killing of a businessman in front of Mitford Hospital in Old Dhaka. Some of this propaganda involves allegations of extortion. Between Friday, July 11, and Sunday, July 13, Sarjis Alam made three posts concerning extortion. However, none of those posts included any comment from him about banning Chhatra Dal or Jubo Dal.
A reverse image search of the widely shared photocard led to the verified Facebook page of the Jatiya Nagorik Party. A photocard posted there on July 2 reads: “Whether in uniform or civilian dress, if the killers are not prosecuted, every police station will gradually become like Patiya. The interim government must bring the killers to justice.”
There is a resemblance between this original photocard and the one allegedly quoting Sarjis Alam on banning Chhatra Dal and Jubo Dal in relation to extortion. Both cards include a similar watermark featuring Patiya Police Station. These findings indicate that the photocard attributing comments about extortion and a ban on Chhatra Dal and Jubo Dal to Sarjis Alam was produced by editing another card.
In early July, a clash occurred between police and activists of the Anti-Discrimination Student Movement at Patiya Police Station in Chattogram, following the arrest of a Chhatra League leader.
Based on an overall assessment, FactWatch concludes that the photocard containing remarks by Sarjis Alam on extortion and the banning of Chhatra Dal and Jubo Dal is manipulated.
Original News Source: https://www.fact-watch.org/the-photo-card-featuring-sarjis-alams-statement-about-banning-chhatra-dal-and-jubo-dal-is-edited/
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Fact-Check Alert
Please be aware of misleading information about Bangladesh politics on social media and verify sources before sharing.
Before sharing any photocard, always verify it by checking the original media source.
Sharing religious misinformation and disinformation can cause harm. Always verify before sharing.
Before sharing any photocard, always verify it by checking the original media source.
Sharing religious misinformation and disinformation can cause harm. Always verify before sharing.