Over the past few days, multiple accounts affiliated with the Awami League have circulated two videos on social media, presenting the footage as showing recovered bodies of Chhatra League leaders after they were murdered and dumped in the Turag river.
Tagged with labels such as “Turag Tragedy” and “Turag Massacre”, the viral videos are graphic -- one shows rows of bodies in a roadside ditch (1,2,3), while the other depicts a body floating in a river (1,2,3,4).
But a fact check by The Daily Star found that neither video is linked to the Turag river. In fact, one was from a tragic road crash a month ago, while the other, though recent, was taken from the Surma river.
VIDEO ONE: TANGAIL HIGHWAY CRASH
Captions in the first video, which runs for nine seconds, claim that seven Chhatra League activists were killed for joining a procession and that their bodies were dumped in the Turag river. The caption further states that three bodies had been recovered, with four still missing.
The Daily Star found the video involved neither Chhatra League leaders nor the Turag river. In reality, the footage documented the aftermath of a tragic truck crash on the Dhaka–Tangail Highway on May 25.
On the day of the incident, Facebook user Mohammad Abdullah Al Noman shared several photos that exactly matched the bodies seen in the viral video that was repackaged and posted on the night of June 26.
Speaking to The Daily Star yesterday, Noman said he was at the crash site and that he took photos of the victims and uploaded them to Facebook.
Multiple news outlets also reported the crash (1,2,3,4). According to BBC Bangla, 15 people were killed and six others seriously injured when a truck carrying steel rods overturned in the Saratail Dakshinpara area along the highway.
The video also contradicts its caption, showing between eight and 10 bodies -- not three, as the caption claimed had been recovered.
In a press release issued yesterday, Police Headquarters denied claims of a massacre in Turag, saying the allegations were being spread to mislead the public.
VIDEO TWO: BODY FOUND ON SURMA
The second clip, running 17 seconds, shows passengers aboard a motorised boat filming a body floating in a river. Shared on the night of June 26, it carried captions alleging the body was that of a Chhatra League leader recovered from the Turag river.
However, The Daily Star found the claim to be false.
Speaking to this newspaper on Saturday, Md Shah Alam, additional superintendent of police (Golapganj circle) in Sylhet, confirmed the video was recorded in the Surma river in the district’s Golapganj upazila.
“The body was seen floating in the river on June 26, but its identity has not yet been confirmed,” he added.
Two local residents of Golapganj -- Kawser Ahmed Fardeus and Md Shahin Ahmed -- posted several videos (1,2) on June 26 that precisely matched the body shown in the viral footage posted later in the day.
Local news outlets in Sylhet also covered the incident. Surma Times reported that the body was recovered on June 26 near the Kachabazar Ferry Ghat in the municipal town, while Sylhet Voice carried the same report.
Dhaka‑based fact‑checking organisation The Dissent likewise traced the footage’s origin to the same spot, citing media reports.
WHO SPREAD IT?
The Daily Star’s verification indicates that the first video, now-deleted, began circulating after a Facebook post by Shohag Patwary, who identifies himself as a former Jubo League vice‑president of Ramganj upazila in Lakshmipur. Within about 24 hours, the post drew 24,000 views and was shared 59 times.
The second video, showing a body floating in a river, was traced to a Facebook page called “Bangalee Akritoggo” (Bangalees are ungrateful).
Posts referencing the so‑called “Turag killings” were shared by prominent Awami League figures, including ousted prime minister Sheikh Hasina’s son Sajeeb Wazed Joy and former education minister Mohibul Hassan Chowdhury.
Joy alleged in a post that DGFI, the Army and BNP were involved in covering up the killings and disappearance of Awami League men. His post drew 27,000 reactions and was shared 1,600 times. He did not, however, share the aforementioned viral videos.
A keyword search shows that after Joy published his post at 7:24pm on June 27, at least 79 Facebook posts from pages and profiles affiliated with the Awami League shared copies of it (1, 2,3,4,5).
A similar post by Mohibul blamed the BNP for masterminding the killings.
Additional Reporting: Mir Rownak
