Old Dhaka clash video falsely shared as recent Bangladesh raid

"Joint forces conduct operation at Hathazari madrassa in search of a large quantity of weapons brought from Pakistan," reads part of the Bengali-language caption of a Facebook post shared on September 3, 2025, referring to an Islamic institution.

The blurry one-minute video depicts a clash between a group of people and the police. 

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Screenshot of the false Facebook post taken September 11, 2025, with a red X added by AFP

Similar posts were shared elsewhere on Facebook as local media reported a series of clashes between university students and villagers in Chittagong after the alleged assault of a student, disrupting classes for days and leaving hundreds injured (archived link).

Comments to the posts indicate social media users believed the claim.

"Weapons have also become easier to carry, so they can be taken anywhere. Big proof is the weapons drive in madrassa," one wrote.

"All educational institutions in Bangladesh should be made weapon-free by conducting a proper investigation and a weapons recovery campaign," said another. 

The video was also falsely presented on Facebook as depicting violence during a closely watched student election in Dhaka University on September 9.

But a reverse image search on Google using keyframes from the video surfaced an Instagram post by a social media news platform Nutshell Today from November 24, 2024 (archived link).

"Today in front of Prothom Alo office at Karwan Bazar," reads the title of the video, referring to the prominent Bangladeshi daily newspaper located at a district in Dhaka.

At the time, demonstrators gathered outside the newspaper's office to demand it be shut down, with authorities attempting to disperse the crowd with tear gas and sound grenades after protesters hurled bricks at them (archived link).

According to RSF, the attackers accused the newspaper of being funded by neighbouring India to promote ideals that they consider contrary to Islam, such as secularism, the rights of LGBTQ+ people, and the emancipation of women (archived link). 

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Screenshot comparison of the falsely shared clip (left) and the Instagram video (right)

The video was also posted on YouTube November 25, 2024 (archived link). 

Other local news media also reported on the incident, containing similar footage taken from different angles (archived here and here). 

Elements visible in the falsely shared video, including the building name and an ATM booth, correspond to Google Maps' street view imagery of the location in Dhaka, 250 kilometres (155 miles) away from Chittagong (archived link).

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Screenshot comparison of the falsely shared video (left) and Google Maps imagery (right), with corresponding features highlighted by AFP

AFP has debunked other posts that falsely presented unrelated clips as having been filmed in Bangladesh here and here.