Fake comment attributed to PM’s adviser circulated over load shedding
Graphics: Agamir Somoy
Power load shedding is causing severe hardship for people’s daily lives, while the government is also facing criticism over the situation. Amid this, a photo card involving Zahed Ur Rahman, the prime minister’s adviser on Information and Broadcasting, has been circulating on social media.
However, an investigation found that Zahed Ur Rahman did not make the comment. The confusion arose after a post from a satirical page was treated as genuine news.
What is being claimed?
A statement attributed to Zahed Ur Rahman was quoted on the circulated photo card.
‘Bangladesh’s people are acting as if they have never seen load shedding in their lives, as if they have never cooked without a gas stove. Tarek Rahman works 20 hours every day for you, so give thanks that you have such a prime minister,’ the photo card claimed he had said.
On August 16, the photo card featuring Zahed Ur Rahman’s picture was uploaded to several Facebook profiles.
Among them, the photo card was shared 24 times from a Facebook account named ‘Golam Rabbani’ and received 548 reactions. The same photo card was also found circulating through other pages and accounts identified during the investigation.
No reliable source supporting the claim was found after examining the posts circulating with the claim. Subsequent searches using relevant keywords also found no such comment by Zahed Ur Rahman in any mainstream media outlet.An investigation into the original source of the photo card found that it was first posted on August 16 on a Facebook page named ‘Gupto Tv.’ An examination of the page showed that it is a parody or satire page. It regularly posts satirical content on various contemporary issues. In other words, the original post was intended as entertainment and satire.
On the same day, August 16, a video message carried Zahed Ur Rahman’s remarks on the gas and electricity crisis. His comments were also reported by the media.
He said that the country’s industries and businesses had been affected in various ways because of the gas crisis, that there had been widespread load shedding in rural areas, and that people in Dhaka had also suffered for several days because of electricity shortages.
He also apologized to the people on behalf of the prime minister for the situation. He did not make any statement involving Tarek Rahman like the one circulated in the photo card.
Therefore, after analyzing the available information, it is confirmed that a satirical post from a parody page is being circulated as a fake comment attributed to Zahed Ur Rahman.
