Claim
A photocard titled ‘সব বাঁধা অতিক্রম করে রাজশাহীতে আওয়ামী লীগের বিশাল মিছিল’(Awami League holds huge rally in Rajshahi amidst of obstacles) has recently circulated on social media platform TikTok. The photocard, labeled ‘বিক্ষোভ মিছিল ও প্রতিবাদ সমাবেশ, বাংলাদেশ আওয়ামী লীগ, রাজশাহী মহানগর,’ shows a large crowd standing with a banner in hand.
See the post with the claim here.
Fact
By conducting a reverse image search on the viral photo, the same image was found on the local Rajshahi media website Rajshahi News24 in a report dated December 10, 2022, titled ‘রাজশাহীতে আওয়ামী লীগের বিক্ষোভ.’
The report’s attached photo matches the one circulating with the claim. It states that on December 10, 2022, the Rajshahi Metropolitan Awami League held a protest rally and sit-in demonstration. They staged the protest in front of their party office in Kumarpara, started the rally from there, marched through major city roads, and ended back at the party office.
Additionally, the issue was covered by Daily Janakantha at that time with the same photo used. This confirms that the photo of the Awami League rally in Rajshahi is from an older event.
Notably, the banned Awami League has announced a nationwide online ‘Lockdown’ program for Thursday, November 13. On that day, the International Crimes Tribunal (ICT) is set to announce the verdict in a case regarding crimes against humanity during the July mass uprising.
Therefore, the photo of the Rajshahi Metropolitan Awami League’s protest rally and sit-in from 2022 has been falsely circulated as a recent image of the party’s rally.
Our Sources:
Rajshahi News 24
Janakantha
BBC Bangla
