Claim that Abu Sayed’s body was hidden for six to seven hours is misleading
Graphics: Agamir Somoy
A misleading claim and social media posts have recently been circulated regarding the death of July Uprising martyr Abu Sayed. The posts include an image of his death certificate or proof of death and claim that although Abu Sayed was seen being shot between 1 pm and 2 pm, records on the death document show that he was brought to the hospital at 8:05 pm as ‘Brought Dead.’
Based on this long gap in time, the posts claim that if it is revealed where he was kept for those 6 to 7 hours, the real mystery behind his death would be uncovered. The post has been shared by several accounts, including that of Golam Rabbani, former general secretary of the banned organization Bangladesh Chhatra League.
In addition, Shanta Farzana, senior vice chairman of Natundhara Bangladesh, alleged that Abu Sayed was taken to the hospital three hours after being shot by police and that during that period his friends killed him before taking him to the hospital.
However, an investigation found that the claim that Abu Sayed was shot in the afternoon and brought to the hospital at 8:05 p.m. is entirely baseless and fabricated. An analysis of the timeline from videos recorded during the incident, contemporary news reports, and the hospital’s official death certificate shows that he was taken to the hospital immediately after being shot in the afternoon, and doctors officially recorded him as dead at 3:05 p.m. in the hospital admission record.
Video Evidence and Investigation by Mainstream Media
A Facebook Live video broadcast at 2:16 pm on July 16 by the Begum Rokeya University Journalists Association was found. At 1 minute and 14 seconds of the video, Abu Sayed is seen being shot by police. At 1 minute and 33 seconds, he collapses onto the road. At 1 minute and 57 seconds, people present at the scene are seen rescuing and carrying him away. Based on the timing of the live broadcast, it can be confirmed that Abu Sayed was shot and collapsed on the road at approximately 2:18 pm.
Authenticity of Contemporary Media Reports and Evidence
At 3:59 pm on the day of the incident, The Daily Campus published a report containing an image of Abu Sayed’s death certificate issued by Rangpur Medical College Hospital. It clearly stated that Abu Sayed was brought to the hospital dead at 3:05 pm.
At 4:18 pm the same day, Dhaka Post also published a report containing an image of the same document. Later, at 4:13 p.m., the Bangla edition of Daily Sun published a report citing hospital sources stating that Abu Sayed had been brought to Rangpur Medical College Hospital at 3:05 pm.
Hospital Live Broadcast and Student Protests
At 3:59 pm on July 16, a Facebook page affiliated with Begum Rokeya University called ‘BRUR Campus’ broadcast a live video titled ‘Live from Rangpur Medical College.’ The video showed students carrying Abu Sayed’s body in a protest march from the hospital following his death. Students can be seen chanting slogans while marching from the emergency department of Rangpur Medical College Hospital onto the main road, proving that all hospital procedures had been completed before 4 pm.
It is worth mentioning that when the same false information was previously circulated on social media, fact checking organization ‘Rumor Scanner’ published a report debunking the claim.
After analyzing all available information and evidence, it is fully confirmed that the claim that July Uprising martyr Abu Sayed was secretly hidden or disappeared for 6 to 7 hours after being shot is disinformation. He was shot at approximately 2:18 pm, and after being rescued and taken to the hospital, Rangpur Medical College Hospital authorities officially recorded him as ‘Brought Dead’ at 3:05 pm. Therefore, the circulated claim that he was brought to the hospital at ‘8:05 pm’ is completely false and misleading.
