Since the day following the national parliamentary election and referendum in Bangladesh on February 12, reports of post-election violence have emerged from various parts of the country. While such clashes are not uncommon, this time the situation has been exacerbated by the proliferation of misinformation online.
Accurate information regarding the incidents has been shared, but false claims have also circulated, using deceptive narratives to point fingers at rival political factions.
According to analysis conducted by Dismislab, a fact-checking organization, there has been a prevalence of false claims suggesting that activists and supporters of Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami were targeted by the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP). Additionally, misinformation has surfaced alleging that Jamaat itself instigated the attacks or was involved in the confrontations.
Data from nine fact-checking organizations that monitor information related to Bangladesh reveals that in the two days following the election – February 13 and 14 – a total of 13 fact-checks were published addressing false assertions concerning post-election violence or demonstrations. Instances where multiple organizations verified the same misinformation were only counted once.
Misinformation Surrounding Jamaat
Various falsehoods have circulated online alleging violence against Jamaat supporters. One such claim revolved around a Facebook video purporting that homes were set ablaze because residents voted for Daripalla (Jamaat’s electoral symbol) in Debidwar, Cumilla. However, investigations found that the video was outdated and had been circulating on Facebook for at least a month prior to the election.
Another video with contradictory claims spread, suggesting that BNP activists attacked homes of minority communities in Cumilla following the election results, or that houses were vandalized simply because individuals had supported Jamaat. Subsequent fact-checks debunked these claims.
A third misinformation piece involved a seven-year-old video alleging that BNP’s student wing, Chhatra Dal, forcibly evicted members of the National Citizen Party (NCP) and Jamaat’s student organization, Islami Chhatra Shibir, from residential halls at Dhaka University.
During this period, several unrelated videos were shared on social media falsely claiming they depicted Shibir protest marches in response to post-election assaults.
Misinformation Implicating BNP
Numerous misleading and fabricated claims have also circulated online implicating the BNP. For instance, a Facebook video was shared as footage of post-election assaults, with the poster accusing the ruling party of assaulting individuals for voting against the opposition. However, fact-checking revealed that the video actually showed a clash between BNP and Jamaat supporters during the election campaign, not a post-election attack.
Another video was disseminated with the false assertion that BNP activists had committed a gang rape against a female leader of NCP.
False information has also targeted Jamaat in the context of election-related violence. A video shared on the social media platform X alleged that Islamist groups were targeting Hindu communities after Jamaat’s election defeat.
Fact-checks confirmed that the video was unrelated to the 2026 election, depicting an incident where a man was assaulted for chanting “Joy Bangla” during the funeral of former Prime Minister Begum Khaleda Zia.
