Claim
A video recently circulated on social media platforms, including TikTok, showing a teenager stamping multiple ballot papers, claiming the incident is from the recent DUCSU election held on September 9. The videos can be seen- here, here & here
Newschecker verified and found this claim false.
Fact
Newschecker investigated the authenticity of the claim by conducting a video key-frame search. They found the same video uploaded on YouTube a year ago on June 5, 2024, titled “আজ,৫ জুন,বুধবার,২০২৪ইং..!! ছাগলনাইয়া উপজেলা পরিষদ নির্বাচনে একটি কেন্দ্রে জাল ভোট দেয়ার দৃশ্য..!!” on a personal YouTube channel.
Additionally, local news outlets such as Feni TV and Noakhali TV reported the same footage related to a different event. This incident occurred in June 2024 during the upazila parishad elections in Chhagalnaiya Upazila at the Cholema Najir High School polling centre in Pathannagar Union.
Moreover, the DUCSU voting procedure and organisation were different this year. Six ballot papers were used, and transparent ballot boxes were not utilized. In contrast, the viral video shows transparent ballot boxes. Confirmations about the current DUCSU election procedure are available in reports by Daily Ittefaq and Ekattor TV.
The viral video purported to show vote rigging in the recent DUCSU election is false. The footage actually relates to the June 2024 Chhagalnaiya Upazila Parishad elections and is unrelated to the DUCSU polls.
Sources:
Feni TV Noakhali TV
